The Rise of Zamorak
by The IronRAVEN xvx
Summary: Calibre11 was just finished with his average day of slaying vampires and saving villages with his team but when he met a wounded girl and weird things started to happen in his clan and at Falador itself, something tells him his world is about to change.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: **Hey guys! So this is my first shot of writing a story for Runescape. I've been trying to come up with a story for this since, well, the first time I've played it. Its one of the first online game I've ever played by the way. Anyways, enough of that and on with the story...**)**

**Chapter 1: All in a Day's Work...Somehow**

"NOOOO! This cannot be...I'm all powerful. How can I be defeated by a mere human! I shall-" The vampire was about to say more but another stake pierced his chest and he disintegrated into ashes.

"I'm glad that's over." A young man stood over what remained of the horror of Draynor Manor. He was obviously a warrior, judging by his light-shaded blue armor with matching blue cape and strong built physique. His armor had green trims on its edges along with a green curly symbol on his chest plate. He slung his battleaxe on his shoulder and dropped the bloody stake on the heap of ashes before turning around and walking over to the staircase leading to the surface.

He casually found his way out via the backdoor. He knew it would be no use trying the main doors. Haunted mansions seem to have this creepy thing about one-way main doors.

A few minutes later at a house in Draynor Village...

"You did it? You've slayed the vampire? I can't believe it's all over." A middle-aged man by the name of Morgan cried, obviously overjoyed. "How can I ever repay you!"

"It's no big deal actually." The warrior replied, sitting on a wooden bench by the door. "If you ever need help, don't hesitate to call on the Lionheart clan. Our teams are always on standby and ready for anything."

"Thank you so much." The man said gratefully. "If I can't do you any favors at least let me bid you well on your journey. There are a lot of Highwaymen out there nowadays. I know they are not even a match for you but be careful nonetheless."

"Thanks! I better go. My team would be waiting by the willows." The warrior stood up and went on his way to meet his teammates. It was a clan standard. Every time there would be a quest, especially those complicated ones, a team is sent instead of an individual, usually in groups of 5 like he currently has and he serves as their team leader. Another business was done for the day. This would be his final assignment before his week off and is obviously excited about his long vacation.

He took the long road heading south. It was late afternoon and the villagers along with some adventurers are preparing themselves for the night after a hard day's work. Some recognized him and nodded politely while others just ignored him. Their clan had been operating on this village for some time now, working on various quests, one of them was the problem with Ernest who was turned into a chicken, so people were somehow familiar with them. The sun was midway across the horizon and was exploding in a beautiful golden shimmer. The warrior slowed his pace, and lifted the visor of his helm so he could take a glimpse at the beautiful sight a bit longer. He couldn't help but smile, he saw it a thousand times but still, there was great beauty there. Simple beauty which can only be seen in nature.

Another few minutes later...

He was on the outskirts of the village now but he wasn't on a stroll anymore. He was so absorbed by the sunset back then that he didn't notice that he was hardly walking anymore and now it was nearly dark and his team would probably be wondering what kept him so long. He made his way through a dirt path. There were wheat fields on full ripe and ready to harvest behind wooden fences on either side of the road. The willows were just over a hill and he increased his pace but slowed again when he heard some sort of...moaning? He stopped and listened again for the sound.

"Ohhh..." There it is again. The voice was female and coming from somewhere to his right. It was already dark making it difficult to see, especially something hidden somwhere in the messy jumble of crops. He leapt over the fence and almost stepped on an arm. It belonged to a girl whose body was half-hidden in the thick vegetation. He didn't need to check her pulse since her moaning already indicate that she was alive. Instead, he slowly and carefully pulled her body to a much more cleared space and examined her condition. She was badly beaten up, with bruises on her face and a cut on her other arm. She also doesn't seem to have a purse or bag. Her long golden hair, along with her legs were splattered in wet mud which indicated that she probably journeyed from the direction of the willows not earlier than today.

He knelt down beside her before he removed his helm and left his grayish blonde hair in a mess and then whispered in her ear. "Hey, can you hear me? Can you talk?"

At first, she just lay there motionless but after a few seconds her eyes fluttered open and she whispered back in a hoarse voice. "Highwaymen...robbed me...too stupid...should have known." And she passed out again.

He examined her arm again. It wasn't as serious as he thought but she still needs medical attention. After wrapping it with a ripped cloth, he carefully lifted her up bridal style and walked back to the village. His team isn't that far but if he went to them, there is a sure chance that theyll be taking her to the village as well. She needs a place to recover and rest and thats when something crossed the warrior's mind.

"Morgan" He mutterred. "I guess you'll be doing me a favor after all." And then he went on his way to Morgan's house.

**(A/N:** So how was it? Do you think its worth continuing? I'll always be on a look-out or you feedbacks and always open for constructive critcism. Anyways, that's all for now. Iron Raven out...**)**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: **Hey again. I'm tyring to establish a stable update schedule, which I'm pretty sure won't work out that much since school's starting again soon. About this chapter, personally, I think this one's a little too violent and I'm warning the readers. READ WITH CAUTION. I didn't rate it T for nothing. Anyways, read on...**)**

**Chapter Two: A Bad Day for Kathelyn**

KathelynHood ,or simply just Kathelyn or Kathy to her friends, slung her backpack on her shoulder and her quiver of arrows on the other. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for hunting in the woods or just chilling out with her friends. Today, she decided to do the first one. She hadn't hunted for quite a while now and her job as a part-time shop assistant isn't giving her much income. She took the longbow which always hung at the wall next to her door and stepped outside. She thought about dropping over her best friend's house, Susan302 or simply just Susan.

She knocked three times at the door of her best friend's house which was beside the fishing shop. The door opened with a slight creak and an unusally pale young woman with jet-black hair and slighlty red nose greeted her.

"Oh hi, you're out quite early." She said in a hoarse voice. "I'm sorry, I have a flu. Probably caught it when we visited the swamp yesterday. Are you going hunting?"

"Yes, I was going to invite you with me but I guess you can't go." Kathelyn replied, obviously disappointed.

"I'm sorry, I really wanted to but can't. Maybe some other time, okay?"

"Sure thing, get better soon alright?" And with that, she turned around and went on her way to the edge of Lumbridge Swamp. She heard that goblins were running about causing mischief around the surrounding areas and the duke promised a reward to those who would help get rid of the problem. Kathelyn took the day off so she could grab this opportunity to earn something worthwhile. She's been saving for an Oak longbow for quite some time now. If she could pull this one out, she would have more than enough money to buy herself that new bow.

A few minutes later...

Kathelyn knelt down on the soft green grass, nervously fingering on her bowstring. About twenty feet across from her, a goblin, about the average size of three feet with rough green skin and pointy ears and nose, was rummaging over a chicken house. The chickens were all dead and the goblin was feeding on the eggs. The farmer probably got scared and ran off so she's on her own, not that she mind.

She crept closer, the ugly, green creature not noticing her even one bit. She slowly notched an arrow, a standard arrow with bronze tips, cheap but effective nontheless, aimed and released. She doesn't consider herself a skilled ranger but she had been training for almost five months now.

The arrow went through the goblins back, its piercing power slightly reduced by the creature's mail, making it yowl in pain. Before it can turn around to retaliate, another arrow went cleanly into its skull, entering via the side of its head. The creature dropped lifelessly face-first on the dry hay amongst the dead chickens.

Kathelyn sighed. "That's one down." She went over to retrieve her arrow and to get the goblin's mail as proof of the kill. The duke announced that twenty gold coins shall be given for each goblin mail presented. It was a long way from her goal of about seven but at least she has made progress and she had only been hunting for an hour or so and its not even noon yet so she has plenty of time.

A few hours later...

A goblin was running through a dirt road with wheat fields on either sides. The creature seemed to be running for its life. There was a wheezing sound of an arrow and the creature slumped dead on the wooden fence, four arrows lodged on its back. Not far behind, Kathelyn was running towards the dead goblin, panting heavily. She had been chasing this one through the swamp until somewhere on the far eastern side of Lumbridge. She just couln't aim properly while chasing her target and that ended up losing more than half of her arrows.

"Great" She groaned while stripping the goblin's mail. She already has six mails and she only needed one more. "Now I have to spend all I've earned on arrows. Just great."

"You won't have to if you just give that all to us, sweetheart." A male's voice said behind her. She quickly spun around and saw a man in black. He had a mask covering his eyes and a long black cape on his back. He drew out his iron sword in return. "Its not wise for a pretty girl like you to pick a fight with us highwaymen, you know."

"Come nearer and you'll have an arrow in your skull!" Kathelyn spat. Suddenly, four more highwaymen emerged from hiding under the golden wheat crops.

"Not so tough now huh?" The highwayman sneered. "Give us those mails and we promise to be gentle with you, girly."

Kathelyn had enough, she knows she's outnumbered but she intend to go down fighting. She'll show them that she's not some weak and defenseless girl that they could push around and do whatever they want with.

She released her arrow and it flew straight into the man's chest. He groaned and fell back, convulsing.

The others stepped back but quickly recovered from their surprise and drew their swords. They began to surround her and she readied her weapon.

The one in front of her attacked. She dodged his blade which passed a few inches from her arm. She slammed her knee into his gut and shot the other one behind him who got hit in the shoulder and let out a cry of pain.

"Stand and deliver!" The one behind her yelled. She spun around but the other one grabbed her bow and punched her in the face. She fell on the ground slightly dizzy but gained her senses a few seconds later and rolled aside as a sword struck on the ground where she was lying a second ago.

The one holding her bow laughed. "Let's see how good you are without this!" He raised her bow and she watched in horror as he slammed it into his knee, snapping it into two.

"No!" She wiped her bloody lip and drew her iron dagger which she always kept at her waist in case of emergencies, like this one.

"Ho ho ho! Someone's mad." The other one laughed.

Kathelyn let out a scream of rage and she charged at the nearest highwayman on her right. The man barely had a chance to raise his blade before she plunged her dagger in his chest. He groaned and fell back. She was about to turn around to deal with the others when a searing pain slashed through her arm, rendering her to drop her dagger. Something blunt slammed on the back of her head and she fell to the ground. The three men started kicking her violently and she couldn't do anything, not even cry for help, but lie there and wait for them to get satisfied with the beating or end up killing her.

A few agonizing minutes later which to her seemed like eternity. The beating stopped. She felt her bag being roughly ripped from her back along with her quiver and the mails she worked so hard to earn. Then she felt herself being dragged to the wheat fields. Her mind panicked. What more horrible things are they going to do to her now? She just wished it would all end soon. She heard the three laughing, obviously excited about what they're about to do when she heard some voices a little far from their location. The men panicked and left in a hurry. Meanwhile, she just laid there, with her body badly beaten up and half-dead. Whatever happens next, she didn't care anymore, as if she can do anything about it, and let herself succumb to sleep.

**(A/N: **Well, that's it. If you ever find this chapter sort of disturbing, I'm really sorry about that. I did leave a warning. For those who are still interested read on. I'll be posting the next chapter soon and its a little better than this one. Iron Raven out...**)**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: **School days are coming and I don't know if I could keep my steady update schedule. Whatever. I'll just try to constanly update as much as I can. Chapter three is up. Enjoy...**)**

**Chapter Three: Respite**

Kathelyn had vague memories of what happened after her run in with those highwaymen. She remembered attempting to crawl desperately nearer the road so someone might find her. The pain in her body was so intense, especially on her chest and ribs area, that she constanly letting out agonizing moans and then passing out again when she caught sight of the road a few feet in front of her. That was as far as her body can take and everything went black.

Sometime later, for how long after she passed out, she didn't know, she heard whispers in her ear. _Hey, can you hear me? Can you talk? _His voice was filled with warm concern and she immediately knew he was there to help her. With much effort, she opened her eyes and saw a young man's face, probably her age though she wasn't sure since his face was covered with shadows. It was already dark, about late afternoon. She came up with the simplest explanation and she told him between gasps for she was finding it difficult to breath and speak. _Highwaymen...robbed me...too stupid...should have known. _And that was the last thing she remembered.

And now, she found herself lying on a soft, comfortable bed with her body covered in a warm blanket. Her clothes, a thin cotton blouse and leggings, weren't hers. She was in some sort of warm, cozy room with antique wooden furniture and aged stone walls but everyhting was neat and tidy. Liquid golden light was filtering from the shutters on the only window across from her bed, it was probably early in the morning. She recalled how happy and excited she was before going hunting, not knowing what her fate will be, on the same time as yesterday, or was it the other day? She didn't really know how much time has passed.

She tried to sit up but a sharp pain erupted on her sides that made her gasp and she was forced to lay back again. So she wasn't fully healed yet but she had to know where she is. Where did that guy take her to?

There was a soft rap at the door and a middle-aged man stepped inside. He had long chestnut hair pulled in a pony-tail and his pointy chin was clean shaven. He wore a blue robe with a white star-shaped figure embroidered in the front.

"Ah, I see you're finally awake!" He said, delighted. "How are you feeling?"

"Slightly better somehow." She replied while flexing her wounded arm which has a bandage wrapped just above her elbow. "Thank you for saving me though you were a little older than I expected."

"Oh Saradomin, you must have gotten it all wrong!" He laughed good-naturedly. "I took you in, yes, but I didn't save you. A good young lad named Calibre11 did. He brought you here last night and requested me to care for you. I couldn't decline of course, I owe him an enormous favor for slaying that vampire but seeing your condition that time, I wouldn't have hesistated to help you nontheless."

"Calibre11..." She mutterred, imprinting his name on her mind.

"Do you need anything miss..." He trailed off. She realized he hadn't known her name yet.

"Its KathelynHood, or simply just Kathelyn." She said. "Oh my clothes, did you?"

"Pleasure to meet you miss Kathelyn" The man replied. "I'm Morgan, I'm a missionary who moved here not more than three months ago and don't worry, my wife Maris was the one who lent and changed your clothes. She too was grateful to return the favor."

"Oh, thank you." She smiled gratefully "I don't know how I can repay you both for everything you've done."

The man chuckled. "No, no. We should all thank him. He saved your life and he saved us from that vampire. He promised to visit you in about two to three days time, until then I suggest you rest."

"I'll wait for him then." She said but she suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute. Do you mean the Vampire of Draynor is slain? As in dead?"

"Absolutely" Morgan said confidently. "The Lionheart clan makes sure of everything. They sent Calibre11 and his team to take care of the vampire and they've even sent another team to retrieve the vampire's ashes to show us citizens that the vampire is slain. Draynor is safe."

"Wow.." Kathelyn whispered in awe. She had heard of stories from adventurers back in Lumbridge who ventured in Draynor Maynor. Most of them were terrifying accounts from survivors. Those who escaped some sort of vampiric creature along with other monstrosities as well as those lucky enough to even find their way out. This is the first real story of success she had ever heard from that place and it made her want to meet him more.

"Pardon my manners, but all this talk is sure making me hungry." Morgan said, a little embarrassed. "Would you like some stew? My wife made it special as part of our celebration."

The word stew made her stomach grumble loudly that she was sure even Morgan had heard it judging from his smile. "I think stew would be nice."

Morgan chuckled again. "Ahhh, someone's hungry as well! I'll bring you a bowl in a flash."

***Meanwhile, at the outskirts of Falador...

"We are SO screwed!" A lanky guy in full-plated steel armor minus the helm cried aloud as the group of five people walked together by a road intersection. A wooden sign says _ Falador_ with an arrow pointing at the mighty white walls of the said city. A muscisian was performing a relaxing tune with his lyre as spectators hang around to listen. The group continued to walk silently towards the gates, all except for one who keep on crying out complaints.

"Believe me, once we get there, the captain has all sorts of horrible stuff waiting for us." He continued. He was young, about fifteen, with short red hair and fox-like features. He seemed really troubled. "Its probably kitchen duty for me, or worse...stable duty!"

"Will you calm down Lacsarl9!" The girl in front of him yelled. She had her blue hair pulled in two buns on either side of her head, she was about seventeen and had a deep tan with an average height and wearing a so-called trimmed rune armor. She too had her helm off and she looked irritated "Whatever they hand to you, just do it. Though I really have to wonder why our leader here didn't show up for a full half a day!" She too was getting worked up now as she eyed their armor-clad leader, wearing the so-called Guthix plate, who was walking ahead so he could at least get some distance from his furious teammates. "Hey Calibre11, what really happened? Speak up will you!."

Calibre11 stopped and turn around, scratching his messy ash blonde hair. "I already told you Miza. There was this girl on the wheat fields and she was badly wounded so I had to take her to Morgan to see she is properly taken cared of. Why won't you believe me and why are you even shouting at me? I'm your superior and just because you're my childhood friend doesn't mean you could act like one when we're on a quest."

"Yeah right! A quest that would have gone smoothly if it weren't for you!" Miza retorted, putting her hands on her hips. " And who would believe a lame story like that?"

"I would've believed you if chocolate suddenly rained down on the wheat fields and _poof! _and they became Koko-" Lacsarl9 was about to say more but he was cut off by Miza.

"Is this the time?" She said angrily, giving him a perfect evil look. Their other two teammates just stayed from a safe distance.

"Jeez, calm down sis, just joking around." Lacsarl9 said defensively. "I might not be able to joke around while I'm on stable duty anymore. I hate horses."

"I'll take you to her if you want, okay?" Calibre11 told Miza reassuringly. "I'll take full blame of the delay of our quest."

"You really should." Miza replied, still irritated. "You are really the only one to blame. We were just waiting there and you didn't show up."

Calibre11 sighed at his childhood friend. "Fine...C'mon, let's go meet the captain." And they resumed walking towards the gates.

**(A/N: **I have to rush this one up, since I have important things to do for the day. I'll try to fix this up or make up for it on the next chapter. Anyways, I would like to thank **xdgirl1001** for being the first reviewer! I hope you'll be on a look-out for more. Thanks again! Iron Raven out...**)**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N:** Hey guys! Just so you know, college is coming nearer and I won't be able to update for let's say, a week at least unless some sort of miracle happens and lets me update at an early date but until then, I'll be going silent on fanfics for this coming week. I wish I could at still lengthen the plot since the story is still at its beginning but I don't think it would be possible and for that I'm sorry. Anyways, here's chapter four and it mostly shows what goes on inside the clan. Read on...**)**

**Chapter Four: The Return**

The group made their way through the city gates without another word, except for occassional grumblings from Lacsarl9. They passed by the side of a moat which surrounded the grand White Knights' Castle which is impossible to miss.

The castle was huge, standing more than fifty feet high entirely made of white-washed stone and covering at least a quarter of all of Falador. It was the center of the Order of the White Knights which was founded centuries ago and where the ones who govern the city. Different colored banners bearing the insignias of various clans who supported Falador hung through its walls. The most noticable was the largest in the middle. It was shaped like a kiteshield divided into four colors: purple, green, black and blue, and four different insignias represented by different animals: the Lion, the Wolf, the Raven and the Bear. It symbolises the Quadruple Alliance made by the top four clans: The Lionheart, the Lonewolf, the Iron Raven and the Black Bear. The five occassionally glanced at the banners while they continued walking.

The group then passed by a drawbridge. A trio of white knights, obviously in their all-white armor greeted and waved at them as they neared their destination. At the western-most part of Falador stood a long two-story building made of stone and wood with a cross-gable style roof. It was simply built and porbably more than half a century old. The Lionheart Clan HQ. Being formerly an inn, it is now the main base of most of the clan's operations and to some, it also serves as their home.

"Well, we're finally here." Calibre11 said to his team.

"Great...Can we just go in and get this all over with?" Miza snapped back.

"Okay, okay. Why are you still mad at me?"

"I will be until I see the evidence behind everything that happened to you."

Calibre11 sighed in defeat. "Fine... Assuming that she's still at Draynor, we'll visit her tomorrow." And with that he went over to the door but before he could knock, it swung open and a group of leather clad people wearing leather armors with bows slung at their shoulders stepped outside as if they were in a hurry but immediately stopped when they saw Calibre11 and his team. They were obviously rangers, and probably on a search or tracking mission since they are an all ranger group.

The one in front, obviously their leader, frowned in confusion before asking. "Lieutenant is that really you?" He glanced at the warrior's teammates and a known smile begin to spread in his face. "Well, I'll say that this was the fastest search operation I've ever been on." His other teammates nodded in agreement.

"Search operation?" Calibre11 asked, though he's beginning to have a clue on who they are searching for.

"You and your team have been gone for a day and a half and the Captain assumed that something bad has happened so he sent us to hopefully locate you and provide you some help but I guess we don't really need to."

"We just suffered some sort of delay that's all." Calibre11 replied at the ranger.

"We suffered a delay? Yeah right...more like _you_ suffered a delay..." Miza mumbled behind his back.

" Name's Archon Cat by the way but Archon's good enough , you better report and I'll see you later." The ranger offered his hand and he shook it but he seemed to be glancing at someone else behind the warrior. He and his team then walked inside to report back to their own captain.

***A few minutes later...

"Lt. Calibre11, the Captain wishes to speak to you now." A tall red-haired woman announced at the team who was waiting at the bench outside the Captain's office. Calibre11 stood up and walked inside casually while Lacsarl9 mouthed the word_doomed._

The office was neat, unlike the other Captain's offices. The paperwork were on a neat stack and there was no decoration of any kind. A man in his late-twenties was sitting behind the large wooden desk. He had a straight face and a stuble chin. Scars, some faded and some recent, marked the sides of his chin and his lower neck, a symbol of a veteran warrior. His Saradomin plate hung in a rack behind his chair below the huge purple Lionheart banner. His real name is Stetsonjohn or just John, and he's one of the Captains that doesn't take mistakes lightly so there must always be a valid reason but other than that, he's a good friend. Calibre11 stood in attention in front of his desk.

"Well Lieutenant? What took you so long?" He said in a gruff voice. "I was starting to think that that vampire got you. I believe there's a reason for all of this."

"There is sir," He replied flatly. "Though it doesn't have anything to do with the whole vampire slayer mission nor was it my squadmates' fault. My team did their part and I was the sole cause of the delay. I found this girl at the wheat fields in the outskirts of Draynor Village. She was badly wounded and needed immediate medical attention so I took her to Morgan's house."

The Captain seem to contemplate at this for a few moments before finally speaking. "Being a Lieutenant, you understand fully well how the system works since you've gotten that far."

Calibre11 swallowed. He doesn't know where this conversation is going. "Yes, sir."

"The safety of your squad is always a priority as well as the success of the mission and that success depends on the current situation of your squad." He continued, his expression still firm and serious. "You know that being MIA without a valid reason is punishable under the circumstances. Agreed?"

"Yes, sir."

"I know you understand those principles" His face lightened up a bit. "But those principles are nothing without its main purpose: to help whenever there are in need. We aid the helpless, we defend the weak and so on. What you did was beyond the borders of your mission and is considered a violation of standard procedure but it is in compliance with our main purpose. So for now, you're free..."

"Pardon sir, did you just say free?" Calibre11 was surprised about the Captain's verdict.

"Of course," The Captain shrugged, his expression wasn't all serious and formal anymore. "Aside from a delay in schedule, no further harm was done. You're squad's still in one piece and the job's done smoothly."

"Thank you sir, I'll be leaving now." Calibre11 said, a little overjoyed but still managing to keep a straight face.

"Permission granted. Oh by the way," The Captain leaned in his desk with a sly smile. "Formalities aside, what's you opinion about that girl? Is she an average beauty? Is she a goddess? Just a hint in return for the favor I gave you."

Calibre11 scratched his head. The Captain can be dead serious at times but sometimes he can be just another hopeless-romantic always keeping an eye out for women. "Well, I don't think she'll be into you. She's about my age to be honest, probably sixteen or seventeen, sir."

The Captain suddenly looked dissapointed and sighed. "Well, if that's the case, you can have her. There's just no right woman for me in this world. You're dismissed."

Calibre11 went outside and told his team the whole story and they all felt relieved. They all then parted ways and some will see each other in a week's time. Lacsarl9 was going straight to the bar and hang out with his friends. Ethaneo and Rambova3000 , the other two who were only temporary members of the squad since the two original ones were wounded in one of their previous quest which involved some sort of raid in the Stronghold of Security, were going to visit the party-room. Miza was going fishing, she loved fishing and does almost everytime she comes back from a quest to relieve her stress. Calibre11 having realized that he had the week to himself doesn't really have any plans for the week. He kept pondering on what to do as he went on his way to his bunk which was located at the Lieutenant's Quarters on the second floor.

Someone was waiting for him at the door to his room. It was Archon Cat. He had removed his ranger gear and was now in casual attire. He was tall, about three inches taller than him, about his age, with wavy dark brown hair and light green eyes. His skin was deep tan and one could easily say that he spend his time mostly on outdoors which most rangers really do.

"Hey, this your room?" He asked while leaning beside the door.

"Yes," Calibre11 replied. "You a Lieutenant too?"

"Just last week actually, our former Lieutenant got promoted but I'm not here to talk about that." He laughed nervously."

"What do you want then?"

"Your second-in-command, that blue haired girl, she going out with you or anybody or something like that?" He blurted.

"What? Miza!" Calibre11 said, totally aghast. He can barely imagine her going out with him, sure she is pretty but her loud and aggressive attitude kind of made him keep his distance. She's a loyal friend, he got to admit. Always there looking out for him and not afraid to voice out her opinion if she sees that its for the good of everbody...most of the time.

"C'mon! I need to know." Archon said desperately.

"Well, she's not into anything like that. And I don't think she is about to any sooner." Calibre11 replied, his thoughts flashing back to what happened to the other guy that asked her out on a date. He just got a broken jaw and couln't talk for a full month just because of a single punch in the face, that's all.

"That's great!" Archon beamed.

"I don't think so. You better be careful. There's tons of other girls out there but why her?"

"She's loud and stubborn. That's what I saw in her when we met earlier. Just my type of girl. So where is she right now?"

Calibre11 sighed. If anything's gonna stop this guy, it's gonna be Miza herself. "Well, by now she might be fishing by the shore near the crafting guild. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"No worries! With my awesomeness and my ultimate strategy, I'll win her before this day is over." He said confidently as he ran off. Calibre11 just shrugged as he unlocked his door and entered his room. He can already see what's about to happen to Archon even with his so-called awesomeness and ultimate strategy and whatever else he has.

Calibre11 removed his armor and changed his clothes before he laid down his bed, thinking of resting for a while. He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts drifted to his two other friends, Coolash132 and Vzuy. They're also both Lieutenants and both of their squads we're sent to investigate a recently discovered Zamorakian temple far North almost into the Wilderness. Coolash's team were sent first but Vzuy's team was sent as well when Coolash's team didn't return. It had been two weeks now and he was worried. He made a promise that if they don't return by the end of the week, he'll be the one to volunteer on going after them but for now he needs to rest. It had been one heck of a quest and he still needs to visit that girl tomorrow. There was also so much other things to do like supervising the recruitment process three days from now other things as well. In a way, he really isn't having much of a vacation.

He laid there for a few more minutes thinking about his friends and that girl before sleep finally took over.

**(A/N:** I'm sorry if the clan system resembles that of a military. I guess that's my idea into it. Anyways, hopefully, I'll see you guys in a week. Iron Raven out...**)**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N: I'm back! For a short time anyway. So much for the '**_**I'll see you guys in a week!**_**' statement. College is really taking a lot of my time and I haven't been able to continue working on my two stories but I'll try to work on them whenever I can. Oh yeah and one more thing, from this chapter on, the narration of the story will vary in different points of view. I just can't project the plot that good when I narrate it on one point of view. Anyways, chapter five is up. Enjoy…)**

**Chapter Five: Beginnings**

**Calibre11 POV:**

I rarely have dreams, sometimes about twice or thrice a month and most of them are vague or just plain nonsense. This time though, was different. I was lying in my bed, my thoughts wandering on what had become of my two close friends, Coolash321 and Vzuy, and I didn't notice that I had fallen asleep.

My dream started with me standing by the doorway of a small stone cottage. It was just how I remembered it. The tatched roof, the cracked weathered walls, the old wooden furniture, it was the place I called home six years ago in Edgeville. I contemplated on my surroundings seeing it all on my dream-self's eyes.

An old man was sitting on a wooden chair by the window watching the sunset with his back turned. My dream-self called the man and he turned around and smiled warmly. His name was Friar Julian. He was a kind gentle-hearted man in his late fifties. He found me in the rain seventeen years ago by his doorstep wrapped in a tattered cloth and he raised me ever since.

"How was your day Calibre11?" He asked, still smiling. His weathered features seemed to disappear slightly when he smiles.

"I found this while Miza, Ash and I were walking by the river!" My dream-self proudly held out some sort of pendant in front of the friar to see. It had a small silver symbol in the shape of a four-pointed star strung on wool. It was a holy symbol commonly worn by clerics with the star as a symbol of Saradomin. I remember finding it by the roots of a large willow. Up to this time I don't know why I found it, I just went over the willow absent-mindedly and the next thing I knew, I was holding a pendant.

"My word. That's a holy symbol!" The man went closer to examine it. "Though it looks somehow different, somehow larger and more brilliant."

"Do you think it's expensive?" My dream-self asked excitedly. We don't consider ourselves poor that time but we weren't rich either.

"It is but things like this shouldn't- " the old man stopped abruptly as if remembering something. He then turned around swiftly and dashed to his bed, bent down and pulled out an old wooden chest barely enough to fit a cabbage. There was a symbol of Saradomin engraved in the front about the same size as the pendant I found. "Give it to me boy, Hurry!"

"What's wrong? Where did you get that box?" My dream-self asked, obviously confused.

"Just hand it here!" Friar Julian shouted and made my dream-self flinch but he quickly handed the pendant over.

He placed it on the engraving and it matched perfectly. There was a slight hissing sound and the chest was unlocked. Julian stepped back as if the chest might explode or something. He then told my dream-self to go to his room and he ran off . Once inside, he closed the door but opened it again slightly so he can peek in. Friar Julian was obviously in panic. His hands were shaking as he lifted the lid and rummaged on its contents, which mainly consist of old pieces of paper. Up to this date, I never knew what was in those papers and why it made him act like that.

His eyes were bloodshot and when he scanned on one particular piece of paper, he was shocked. So much, that he dropped what he was holding and backed against the wall trembling violently. "It has begun. It has begun." He repeatedly said.

My dream-self was worried now, and so was I back then, that he opened the door and ran towards the old man and asked if he was alright. Instead of answering, he shoved my dream-self aside and hurriedly picked up the papers before putting them back into the chest. "You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be! I never knew this would happen. Not in my lifetime! Not so soon! Not now!"

He seemed to be talking to himself rather than to my dream-self and just then someone knocked on the door. "Friar Julian, its Friar Elmer, may I come in?"

Friar Julian quickly opened the door and revealed a bald man in his late forties. Behind him stood Miza and Ash. He greeted him, not noticing Friar Julian's panic-stricken face. "This two children told me that that boy of your found some sort of artefact. Am I correct?"

"Y-yes Friar Elmer and t-there's something you must know" Friar Julian's voice was shaking.

"What is it Friar Julian? Is it cursed? If it is, let's take it to Friar Lawrence."

"No!" Friar Elmer nearly jumped. "I mean no. I will explain." He then dragged Friar Elmer into his room along with the chest. My dream-self on the other hand was still sitting on the floor when Miza and Ash went over.

"Are you in trouble?" The young Ash asked.

"I think he is." Miza said. "Is it because of that thing you found?"

My dream-self didn't reply and was just busy staring at the closed door. The voices of the two friars were loud and agitated. Then, we heard another sound, some sort of screaming from outside. It was then followed by more screams. Soon after, people were panicking on the streets. The two friars burst from the room and we all rushed outside. It was already dark and the air was filled with smoke from burning buildings, screams of panicking people and clanging of metal. Friar Elmer grabbed one of the fleeing men and asked him what was going on.

"G-goblins! They are running wild all over the village! There's so many of them and coming from everywhere. They seem to be under a spell or something. Flee while you can!" And the man ran off.

Friar Elmer faced Friar Julian with a knowing expression and whispered. "They know it's here. We need to get out of here."

"I know a way to Varrock. We must take this chest to Father Lawrence. He will know what to do. We'll use the sewers." Friar Julian replied. He was about to say more when a goblin emerged from the corner of the streets. The ugly green creature's eyes were of unusual crystal red. It raised its spear and charged at us. The two friars drew their maces, which they always brought with them, and engaged on the creature while the three of us stayed out of the way.

The goblin lunged. Friar Elmer, barely dodging the spear's tip, swung his mace on the creature's side. It only growled and showed no signs of pain. Friar Julian hit the goblin square on the face but the goblin just growled again and kept on attacking. The two friars were a match for the goblin but their age soon took its toll and they were breathing heavily. Fortunately, the goblin finally went down after being pummelled by maces a dozen times leaving the two friars totally exhausted.

"We need to get out of here!" Friar Julian shouted and we all ran through the streets in a straight line with the three of us children in the middle. There were little skirmishes everywhere. Guards, along with a few adventurers and citizens were fending of the hordes of goblins but the creatures were just too many and they were beginning to get overrun. There were dead bodies everywhere. Some were goblins but most of them were humans. We were almost at the gates when we heard Friar Julian groan. We turned around and saw him with a spear-tip piercing his chest, foamy blood was forming in his mouth. My dream-self screamed. Ash began to cry.

Friar Elmer rushed in to help Friar Julian ,who was now lying motionless on the ground, but three more goblins jumped from the roof of a burning cottage and we knew that he won't stand a chance. Friar Elmer tossed the chest to my dream-self and shouted, "Run! I'll hold them off. You children must get out of here now!"

The three of us ran off towards the gates hearing Friar Elmer's agonizing screams as the goblins mobbed him. We reached the gates. The bodies of dead guards and goblins were sprawled here and there.

"Where are we going to go! I'm scared!" Ash cried out."Everybody's fighting and what about my parents!"

"Shut it Ash! Crying won't do us any good. I'm scared too and so is Cal but we need to think about getting out of here." Miza snapped. "They said that we must go to Varrock. I know the way. Come on!"

We followed her outside the gates across a dirt road. Behind us, they were still some people trying to escape and the goblins were chasing after them relentlessly. One of them spotted us and charged in our direction.

"One of them is on us!" My dream-self shouted. Ahead of us, about five hundred meters, was a stone bridge leading to the outskirts of Varrock. We stumbled on a few dead bodies, probably belonging to camping adventurers who were ambushed.

"We're not gonna make it!" Ash sat down hard and cried and that's when Miza slapped him.

"Listen here! We're all scared!" Miza shouted, tears streaming in her eyes as well. "But we have to go. Our parents are probably still out there and worried sick about us. Think of what they'll feel if they found out that we're dead. Cal just lost his and do you see him crying? No! Because he knows that we are still alive and we need to keep on being alive. We'll be safe at Varrock and our parents are probably there too. So let's go!"

She pulled him up and we were about to run again when the goblin burst from a nearby bush. My dream-self picked up a steel longsword and prepared to fight. I was already practicing swordplay at that time.

The goblin lunged. My dream-self parried its spear sideways and closed in. He plunged the sword on the creature's chest. The goblin growled and scratched him in return and made him yelp. The goblin followed it with a headbutt and a bite on my dream-self's shoulder which made him cry in pain and fall backwards to the ground. Ash scrambled to his feet and ran away screaming while Miza on the other hand picked up a dagger and stabbed the creature on its back. It didn't kill the goblin but it was enough to turn its attention to her.

The goblin was now coming nearer to her until it got her backed on a tree. Miza might be brave but doesn't have any fighting skills at that time and the goblin could kill her easily. My dream-self finally got to his feet, picked up the sword and slashed at the creature's back. It yowled and turned around spinning its spear in the process and hitting my dream-self on the head. He fell down and the goblin was on top of him, holding the spear above, ready to strike.

"CAL!" Miza screamed. The goblin was about to bring down the spear but before it could do so, a warrior clad in full iron armour came out of nowhere and with one expert slash with his iron longsword, sent the goblin's head rolling in the grass.

Miza went over to check on my dream-self. The warrior knelt down to examine him as well. He removed his helm and revealed a boy about thirteen. He was good-looking, with medium-length wavy caramel hair and almond brown eyes. He had slightly upturned nose and had a small scar under his chin. "Are you guys alright? Don't worry, our Lieutenant will take care of you two. Good thing I got here just in time. A boy told us where you guys were so I came in to help you out. My name's Vzuy by the way."

"I'm Miza, this is Calibre11 and that boy is probably Coolash321. We owe you a lot." She said gratefully, her eyes were filled with admiration.

"Nice to meet you." He smiled. Just then, a warrior clad in guthix plate went over to where we are. Behind him was Ash along with a dozen more men and women in full armor with purple capes on their backs.

"Well done Vzuy. It seems that you've passed your training course once again." The man applauded.

"Thank you sir, but I think we have more important things to deal with." He said eyeing my injured dream-self. "This boy can fight. I saw him earlier and so does she."

Miza blushed. The man examined my dream-self, Miza and Ash before nodding. "Very well, I'll see to it that they get proper treatment and if they wish to, they may join our clan. But for now, Vzuy's right. We have more important matters to deal with. Realms0!" He called to one of the female warriors. "Take them to the infirmary."

"Yes sir." She replied quickly and began to apply first-aid on my dream-self with Vzuy helping out.

"Alright, let's reclaim Edgeville!" The man cried out, his men followed afterward and they all charged to the village. Ash went over to Miza with a miserable look on his face. "I'm sorry I ran away. I was a total coward."

"Hey, it's alright we're still alive aren't we? And if you hadn't done that, Cal and me would've both been dead." She smiled and that cheered Ash up a little.

"Alright, Calibre11's safe enough to be moved to the infirmary." Vzuy declared. "I better join the fight. I'll see you guys again later!" And he took off to join his comrades.

My dream faded with my dream-self being slowly lifted up and taken to the infirmary.

**(A/N: So that's it for chapter five. The whole chapter kind of shows my idea of how Edgeville got turned into ruins (other than being destroyed in the God Wars part) and it also has some clues behind Calibre11's identity and his previous life before he joined the clan. Anyways, that's all for now. See you in…I don't know. Can't make promises. See you soon then. Iron Raven out..)**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: **I'm back! And not long before the last update which I think is good though I'm not doing any better with my other story *sigh. Anyways, on to chapter six….**)**

**Chapter Six: Missing**

Narrator POV:

Miza sat patiently by a small rock, setting her fly-fishing rod beside her and watching as the horizon explode into a orange-golden shimmer with the sea reflecting everything like a blurred mirror. It was already late in the afternoon and she had spent the whole day fishing until she ran out of feathers. She hadn't caught much though, just a couple of trouts and a salmon. There were times were there had been better catches but it seems like she's not into it as usual.

"What happened to you guys?" She whispered to herself as she hugged her knees thinking of her two other closest friends. They've been gone for quite some time now and every passing day makes her anxiety grow even more. She knows Calibre11 is also dying to get out there and search for them himself but the Captain won't allow him. With Ash and Vzuy gone, he's the only Lieutenant left to handle the warrior squads.

A cold gentle breeze blew and rippled through her thin clothes but she didn't mind. She had been unquestionably distraught this days and it makes her easily irritated to the people around her, especially towards Calibre11. All he did was helping somebody and it caused them a minor delay in their quest but that's all. Not much harm done whatsoever and yet she acted like a brat, blaming him and everything.

Miza sighed and murmured. "I better go and apologize to him." And convince him to cook the fish for her and invite him to dinner. She smiled slightly at the thought. Cal was always the natural chef and as for her cooking skills, not that well. It would be a miracle if she could even cook a sardine right without turning it into charcoal.

She stood and picked up her catch and fishing gear. As she was about to head back to Falador, someone whistled from atop a tall yew tree on her right. She looked up and saw a familiar looking ranger completely at ease on one of the branches with a single blade of grass on his mouth. It was Archon Cat, the leader of the ranger squad that was supposed to search for them. What was he doing here?

"Hey sweetheart, need help with those? You look hot without your armour by the way." He winked trying to look sexy.

"I have a name so don't call me sweetheart and no thanks I'm doing fine by myself." Miza replied with a cold tone. This guy is totally revving up her annoyance meter. "What are you even doing here?"

"Nothing really... your Lieutenant told me where you were and I figured that you'll get kind of lonely and might need some company." Archon explained while twirling the blade of grass on his fingers.

Miza raised her brow. Archon easily leaped down and landed next to her like it was nothing. Miza crossed her arms. Why won't these guys just leave her alone? She hates guys like this one since most of them are just flirts or pervs.

"Wow. You look even more gorgeous up close." He said with a sly smile but Miza returned with an icy glare from her sapphire blue eyes.

"Don't be mad, sweetheart. Why don't you give us some time to, you know, get to know each other? I'm a nice guy, really. Probably even the most awesome guy you ever met"

Miza's glare didn't waver. Most awesome guy she ever met? Please. He looked like a complete loser compared to Vzuy or even Cal or maybe it was just her but it doesn't matter."Leave…me…alone! I'm not in the mood to talk right now, especially with guys like you!" And with that, she quickly turned her back and walked away. Talk about a ruined day.

She heard footsteps behind her and before she could turn around and yell at him again, an arm wrapped around her shoulders, bringing her close and Archon whispered in her ear. "You know, I just got promoted to Lieutenant and got some more zeroes on my paycheck. I can take you anywhere you like or give you anything you want!"

Miza pushed him away. Now he's trying to buy her out. "Don't you get it? I don't like you! This is your last warning. Back off!"

"And what are you gonna do if I don't back off?" Archon asked daringly, eyebrows raised and standing directly in front of her. Miza cracked her knuckles.

"I know you're just shy. Come on! Don't play hard-to-get!" He was about to touch her face but suddenly there was a flash and everything grew dark.

Calibre11's POV:

I woke up roughly late in the afternoon feeling a little disoriented. I sat on my bed for about a full half an hour. That dream left my thoughts to wander on that fateful day. The very day I lost the person I regarded as my father. The day me and my friends entered this clan and became who we are now. I tried to forget it but it just doesn't seem to completely leave. Until now, I didn't know if Friar Elmer survived. His body was never found but he wasn't seen ever again either. He and Friar Julian gave there lives so we can escape along with that box.

Wait a minute, the box! THE BOX! I have totally forgotten about it. I dropped it back then when we were attacked by that goblin and I forgot to come back for it. How can I be so stupid! Even if I return to that place now, it should be long gone. Probably picked up by some adventurer or whatever it is out there. I sighed and rubbed my messy hair. Whatever is in that box, I wouldn't know anymore. As if it mattered, apart from losing the only family I had and began living the life of a Lieutenant in a clan, not much has changed in me. Nothing I ever consider to be the reason why Friar Julian would be so worked out about me when he saw the contents of that box. What's it got to do with me anyway? He told me I shouldn't have been there. Not in his lifetime. What does that mean?

My thoughts were interrupted when someone rapped on my door. I went over and opened it. It revealed an over-irritated Miza with her face all red and she was slightly trembling with anger.

"Whoa, cool it sis! What's wrong?" I asked.

"Will you stop throwing those guys at me?" She snapped.

"What? Oh, you mean that ranger guy. He was persistent. I warned him but he wouldn't listen. You didn't-?" I stopped when she raised her fist. "Ok, you did."

"I didn't hit him as hard as the guy last time. So he'll probably be up and going in about two days. " She sighed. "May I come in?"

"Well, sure, I better get some food downstairs."

"No need, I got some fish here. Can you cook them for me?" She asked with a slight smile as she handed over four trouts and a salmon before sitting on a chair beside my bed. I smiled back and took it, knowing she wasn't that good of a cook but she also looked worn out. I went over to a small range in my tiny kitchen, lit it up, and in a few minutes all of the fish was nicely cooked and steaming. The smell made my stomach growl and it's pretty obvious that she's feeling the same too.

"Come on, the fish are ready." I said, inviting her by a small circular wooden table setting down the fish.

We were halfway on our dinner when she spoke again. "Do you think they'll come back?"

I swallowed my food before I replied, knowing exactly who she were referring to. "Of course. We're talking about Ash and Vzuy here. You've seen them fight. They'll be back in no time. They're just-" I trailed off. Just what? Its already two weeks since they were gone and we haven't heard from them ever since. I looked at her and she was staring at me anxiously.

"You're going are you?" She said in a low voice after staring for a full minute.

"I'm planning to. The captain still hasn't made a decision, I'll still go nonetheless. They've been missing for two weeks and I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing."

"I'm coming too. When do we leave?" She said without hesitation.

"The captain said he'll be able to come up with his decision in the next two days but that's too long. I suggest we visit that girl and see if she's fine then we'll take the chance. Instead of heading back, we go straight to the wilderness."

"Alright, that's a plan."

***Somewhere in the southern part of the wilderness***

"Ash wake up, they've left." A guy in his late teen years with caramel hair shook a younger guy awake. His expression was fierce and determined, like someone who would naturally have if he or she is dying to get out of a prison, in which case, he is. They were in some sort of cell under a temple. It was nearly pitch-black except for a few streaks of light coming from under the old wooden door which serves as the door to this dungeon.

"Wha-? Vzuy what is it?" The guy named Ash replied groggily still not fully awake, scratching his dark curly hair.

"They're gone. The ceremony is over and they won't be back in a couple of hours." Vzuy said in a hushed tone.

"So? That means we can spend a couple of hours sleeping in peace without hearing that stupid chanting." Ash retorted.

"But this is also the perfect time to show you something." He replied with a sly smile. The cell was small, barely seven feet long and five feet wide, with rusty, but still strong, steel bars. The whole place smells like someone's basement that hasn't been opened in years. The air was heavy and dense it seemed to squeeze them. Vzuy walked to the farthest corner and raised his hands, touching the low-ceiling.

"Okay? You're going to bring the ceiling down with your hands?" Ash said flatly. "You've gone nuts. There's no way we're getting out of here."

"Will you try to be positive just for once?" Vzuy answered back, his hands still on the ceiling, but now instead of groping, he began knocking on it gently with his fist. "It has to be somewhere…over…here!"

"Okay stop knocking…they're probably not home." Ash said sarcastically and was about to say more but Vzuy suddenly punched at an area of the ceiling and it gave with a slight cracking sound, small bits of rubble fell on the ground, the dust made their nostrils flare, revealing a small hole the size of a fist, fresh air and light flowed through.

Vzuy groaned while clutching his left arm. "There goes my shield hand."

"Thank you for sacrificing your hand to make this room a little brighter and a little fresher." He said a little sarcastic but he went over to check on him. He examined his arm. "It's dislocated. Try not to move it much. Why did you do it anyway?"

"I have to find out what's going on out there." Vzuy explained as Ash wrapped his wrist on a cloth he ripped from his shirt. "Ever since that ambush-"

"Which was totally unfair since one of them had this weaken spell thing." Ash interrupted as he finished tying the knot.

". Can I continue now?" He asked a little irritated. The other nodded. "It's been two weeks since that ambush. There were seven of us who were kept here and they took one of us away every two or three days."

"Go on."

"Well, they didn't come back. It's unusual if they just let them go. I think this ritual has something to do with them." Vzuy's voice tightened.

"They took my second-in-command BunnyAli yesterday." Ash said, his tone now serious. "If they did anything to her, I'll-, wait a minute, do you think they're -?"

"I don't know!" Vzuy cut him off, he knows what Ash was going to say. "Whatever they're planning to do, we're next and I have to find out before they take one of us."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"By this." Vzuy reached down his boot with his good hand. He pulled something silvery, a mirror.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Miza lent it to me. She told me it was her lucky mirror. Never mind that, I'm taking a peek."

Vzuy put the mirror through the hole and began to look around. After a few minutes, he gasped.

"What do you see? Are they up there?"

Vzuy's voice was tight; his body was trembling with rage. "Yes they are, and they're either tied to a table or chained to the walls. Some of them are still breathing but, damn it, their wounds!" He pulled the mirror back and put it safely in his boot. His expression was that of pure hate it made Ash just stand there and watch him in silence. He had never seen him like this. Ever.

"They're going to pay…They're going to pay! ALL OF THEM! I"LL KILL THEM!" He cried out loud.

"Calm down! They'll hear us!" Ash said desperately.

"Then let them come! Let them try doing those things to me!" Vzuy shouted out loud kicking the steel bars, daring anybody to come in. As if on cue, they heard the door rattle and open with a loud creak. The two braced themselves for the worse.

Five bald men dressed in crimson robes with a silver symbol hanging in their chests crudely resembling a W, walked in. All of them had cruel smiles on their faces. The man in the middle spoke up. "Well, well, well, I guess you've found out about our little 'ceremony'."

Both guys glared at him. He continued. "I suppose there's no hiding the truth now is there? It doesn't matter, you two would be dead anyway and we're a step closer on reaching our goal."

"Which is?" Vzuy asked, his voice still murderous and his glare fixed on him.

"Ah, you're something aren't you? Anyways, yes, about our goal. We are a step closer in making the perfect wine!"

"That's ridiculous!" Ash said in disbelief.

"Enough with your lies! Why did you tortured our squadmates!" Vzuy snapped.

"My boy, I'm speaking of the truth. The wine of perfection! The Wine of Zamorak! Once completed, it would grant anyone who drinks it ability to attain the powers of our great Zamorak himself!" The man laughed maniacally.

"But what does it have to do with us!" Ash questioned.

"Creating the wine requires tedious work. It contains the very blood of Zamorak and it constantly requires one drop of blood from a different person every second or third day." The man explained, bits of laughter still lingering in his face. "It requires total dedication for the cause. Over the years, I, along with my cultists have kidnapped random people all around Gielinor. A single drop of blood is all we need from them and we dispose of them after to maintain secrecy. Unfortunately for you and your friend, it is the full moon and we usually have an additional activity on such occasions."

"You mean, you've been killing people just to make this stupid wine!" Vzuy walked closer towards the man with only the bars separating them. He whispered coldly. "You're sick and demented. Let me out of here and I put your little experiment to an end."

The man just laughed at this. "You're trying to threaten me? Oh, I will let you out, both of you. It's your turn to contribute to our cause."

He began to chant and after a few indistinct words, he flicked his hand and a ball of purple sparkling dust hit Vzuy straight in the chest. He groaned and fell to the ground. "I-I feel w-weak…" He muttered.

"Vzuy! Hey stop-Arrrgghhh!" It was Ash's turn to hit the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Take them to the ceremonial hall!" The man ordered before turning around and walking out of the room. The men opened the cell and dragged both of them out. The ceremony is about to begin.

**(A/N: **So yeah, a little glimpse of what's been happening to the other two friends and all that. Anyways, I still can't make any promises but I'll try to update ASAP. See yas! Iron Raven out…**)**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N:** So yeah, after a few eons, I've managed to update this story again. Please leave a review to let me know whether if I should continue this story or not and to let me know if there's a portion of the story that needs improvement and such. About this chapter, there will be some sort of brutal content on some parts. Hey, as I said, I don't rate this T for nothing. Anyways this chapter is a lot longer than the previous ones, read on…**)**

**Chapter Seven: Can I Come?**

Calibre11 POV:

I woke up before first light. The evening chill made it quite difficult to get out of my warm bed but I still managed to do so miraculously. After a quick visit to the washroom, I hurriedly put my armour on minus the helm, slipped my longsword on my belt, and picked up my bag. I had already packed everything I needed for the trip last night. As quietly as I could manage, I crept through the Lieutenant's Hall, down the stairs to the scullery and out on the back door. The whole place was deserted. Everybody's probably either away or still sleeping.

Miza was already waiting for me under an oak tree. She already had her rune trimmed-armour on, minus the helm, along with her pack. We chose to leave at the back since it was her turn for guard duty on that certain place at this time of the night. The timing was perfect. There was also plenty of cover, from stacks of crates and barrels to a couple of tall trees, which would make it hard for anyone to see us, hard but not impossible.

"You got everything?" She asked. Her breath was visible on the dimly lit surroundings.

"Yep, C'mon, let's get out of here before-" I was about to say but I was cut off.

"May I ask where you two are off to at this time of the night?" A firm woman's voice spoke from behind one of the crates. The two of us spun sharply to the voice's direction, wide-eyed with alarm. A figure was lounging on top of a crate covered in shadows.

"Umm, we we're just uh…" I began nervously; this wasn't part of the plan!

"Taking a romantic stroll or something, yes?" She said in a liquid-like tone while emerging from the shadows. She was angel rose1, lieutenant of the mage squad and Captain stetson john's right hand woman and also the eldest lieutenant in our division. Her piercing emerald green eyes seem to bore through ours and we can't help but avert her steely gaze. She was beautiful though, in her late twenties, with a fully-grown woman's body complete with slender curves, caramel skin and long wavy crimson hair fixed on a ruby tiara. Her green robes fluttered slightly on the evening breeze. Yes, she is beautiful but those thoughts aren't running in my head right now. She was holding a fire staff on her right hand and some smooth penny-sized stones with distinct markings on them, undoubtedly runes, on her left, ready to cast a spell. We were both aware of what she is capable of. Her fire strike is one of the things any melee warrior wouldn't want to taste.

"I don't think that's the case, judging from your packs and your armour." She continued, gesturing on our bags.

"Of course not… we were um…uh.." I stuttered, still unable to make up anything.

"I'm waiting...lieutenant" She said, twiddling her thumb on the shaft of her staff. I swallowed.

"We were meeting a friend." Miza butted in. I really have to thank her for that one.

"A friend?" She replied with a brow raised.

"Yes! We are." Now it's my turn. "She was the one I rescued on our last quest. We were just visiting her and see if she is doing fine."

"Is that so?" angel continued, not sounding convinced at all, which is bad. "Why so early?"

Miza sighed, I could tell that she's getting irritated. Well why not? This woman was acting like a mother! She fits the role well though. "We wanted to get this done early so we'll be back in time for the morning activities."

"That's it?" We both nodded. She then did something unexpected. She smiled, not a happy smile but more of that of sympathy. "Are you sure you're not trying to get them back?"

"Who? What do you mean?" I asked, though I already have an idea of what she meant.

"Do you think I'm some kind of idiot?" angel replied. "You two are definitely going on a search and rescue attempt for the two lost squads. There's no use hiding it when its plain obvious since the four of you are quite the closest of friends and I can sense desperation on both of you."

Now Miza and I both sighed in defeat. Better admit it, she already knows.

"Okay, you knew but please don't stop us. We have to do this! The captain couldn't make up his mind so we need to do something before it's too late." I said in an almost pleading tone. She was right. We are really desperate right now. Even if she refuses, we won't have a choice but to go through her. We can fight her head on since we have a slight chance of winning but all that racket would wake everyone up.

"All we want is to find out what happened to them." Miza joined in. "We've been worried sick and we don't care if we get in trouble or not. We're ready to face anything when we get back."

She seemed to contemplate on this for a moment. Her expression was serious as if she's taking into account every detail which is the right thing to do. If the captain finds out that she is involved with this, she could get herself in quite a pile of trouble as well.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, she finally made up her mind. "You better hurry then." She said with a hint of regret on her voice. "The sun would be up soon."

"Really!" The two of us almost shouted in unison.

"Hush! I'm only letting you go but only on a scouting mission, nothing else! I see that they mean a lot to both of you and even if I regret it, I'm letting you guys go. The captain seems to be really preoccupied about something right now and I don't think he'll be working on your problem any sooner." Her voice was low and her eyes were cautious. "If you find out where they are, report back to me at once. Ooh! I'm so dead when the captain finds out. Go on before I changed my mind!"

"Thanks a lot lieutenant, we owe you a lot!" Miza almost shouted gratefully as she tackled angel with a hug. The mage lieutenant was surprised at first, but she soon returned the gesture. I on the other hand just smiled and waited, I have to admit that I was a little tempted to hug her too but that would be really awkward and I probably might end up having a fire blast spell for breakfast.

"You two remind me of the captain and I when we were your age, we always sneak out a lot!" She smiled one of her sad smiles as if she remembered something but then waved at us dismissively. "Well off you go! Remember, only a scouting mission. Now go and good luck!"

We nodded and waved her goodbye for the last time before heading off into the shades of the tall trees, even more determined than ever.

***Meanwhile, at the Zamorakian Temple…

Narrator POV:

It took a few hours before they were both dragged to the dungeon which turned out to be directly above their cell. It was the room Vzuy was able to take a look at with the mirror. The first time they were to be dragged out, another monk burst in and warned his fellow monks about a ranger team spotted somewhere in the edge of the wilderness. The monks locked the two up again and didn't return for a few hours.

But now, Vzuy and Ash were now able to take a full glimpse on what had become of their squad mates as they were being stripped of their armour. The effect of the spell hasn't worn off yet since the head monk cast another weaken spell on them as they were going in. Strapped on the tables were Vzuy's second in command and a squadmate, Chromex09 and lordvaldi while chained to the walls were Bunnyali, hannelori and Left13 who belonged to Ash's squad. They were also stripped from their armour and their clothes were torn into rugs. There were multiple cuts and bruises on their bodies, some where only mere scratches but they were also huge gaping ones with tiny streams of blood still trickling on them. Their expressions were dazed from too much pain but they are somehow still alive. For how long? They weren't sure. Blood was splattered on the floor along with a bunch of torture equipment littered here and there. There were whips, a cat-o-nine-tails, razors, saws, hooks, needles, knives, a bowl of salt, candles, torches, pliers, just about everything a sick mind can think of.

Vzuy let out a groan and collapsed on the floor after a large burly man tugged violently at his chestplate, removed it, and gave him a solid punch on the gut. There were four men in the room, two for each of them. They were laughing and talking to each other as if torturing people was a natural thing to do. Ash was pinned to the ground being pummelled by a man who kept on repeatedly punching Ash's face while the other man was kicking him on the chest and stomach. Vzuy wanted so much to help him but there's nothing he could do even to help himself.

"Alright, up ya go!" The burly man lifted Vzuy up over his head and tossed him on a wooden table which cracked in half as he landed hard. His vision swirled and his back screamed in pain while he watched the men laugh maniacally. "We are so going to enjoy this. Bring up the chains!"

Vzuy caught a glance of Ash's second in command, BunnyAli. Her face was covered with dirt, grime and blood but it was clear that her expression was a pleading one as she watched those men pound on her lieutenant mercilessly. Vzuy felt his rage building up inside. He was slammed on the stone wall and took some more blows but he didn't seem to feel any of it. All he felt was hatred, white hot hatred to all these men. How happy would he be to kill them all! And that was the though that played on his mind as he was bound on chains and his shirt ripped apart; he simply imagined the whole thing being done the other way around. He barely even felt the sharp, stinging sensation that the first strike of the whip left on his bare chest and the hundreds that's soon to follow.

***A few hours later, in the hills of Southern Falador...

Calibre11 POV:

"Why couldn't we just sneak past them!" Miza complained, half-panting as she sat on a large grey rock. We have been walking and running for hours and now, the sun is already high up in the sky.

"I'm telling you, it's too risky! Once we get caught, there's no second chance. " I told her for about a millionth time. We couldn't get to the Wilderness via the north path from Falador since it's been guarded by three squads from our clan and about five squads from the Iron Raven clan. There had been reports of small skirmishes from the smaller clans and they were there to keep order. It's good news for the city but bad news for us. It means that we have to take the route on the outskirts of Varrock to get into the Wilderness. It was a long way, but we are safer from being caught.

By this time, the captain might be already aware of what the two of us are up to and he's going to send tracker squads after us, mainly consisting of our very own ranger squads or he might even ask the help of those Ravens. Members of that clan were known to be consisting mostly of rangers and they're warrior squads are way different compared to ours. They use crossbows and daggers, often seen with dark or camouflaged outfits, and are also rumoured to be the masters of stealth and speed. In short, their clan rules the night. Just thinking about it made my hair stand on end. If they were ever on to us, we need to reach our destination before nightfall.

"So much for our plan. I can't believe we have to go through Draynor Village and then to Varrock just to get to the Wilderness when it would just take about a thirty minute walk if we took the north path but I guess you're right." She sighed as she caught her breath. I on the other hand, felt great. It's not everyday she agrees with me on something. "This is a safer way and we could really visit that girl. Besides, I hate those Raven guys. They've tried recruiting me every time any of them sees me."

I chuckled. "You are pretty popular, after you knocked out their "pretty boy" captain!"

"I know, he was one of the worst. I got him really good." We both smiled as we remembered it. A drunken Raven captain tried to flirt with her and ended up spending three weeks in the infirmary for suffering severe internal bleeding, several broken bones and a massive concussion. It was one of the few embarrassing moments of their clan. After a few minutes, we were ready to go again and we started off to Draynor.

"You said you left her at Morgan's house?" Miza asked while we were walking on a dirt path. An arrow sign pointing to the direction ahead of us read : DRAYNOR VILLAGE.

"Yes I did, he's a good man and he might have information on the temple we're looking for."

"Well, let's get going then."

***One hour later, at the market district of Draynor Village…

The market place was bustling again. Streams of people were moving from shop to shop browsing at the various items the traders have in their carts and stands. We passed by a toy shop who sells toy horses, spinning plates, etc. There was a souvenir shop who sells firecrackers, cakes, bubble blowers and a bunch of other stuff. A liquor stand offered us some wine and free beer samples but we passed on the offer. We finally made our way through the crowd after a few minutes and we found ourselves back at Morgan's house.

I knocked on the door and we were greeted by his wife. She seemed overjoyed upon seeing us again and willingly let us in. We followed her to the dining room and I saw Morgan getting ready for lunch. Morgan greeted us both with a warm hug and invited us to join them in the meal. That's when one of the doors beside the kitchen opened; probably a bedroom and a teenage girl about my age came out.

"Um, Morgan do you happen to shops any shops that sell bows around here?" She stopped abruptly when she noticed us. She was pretty. With long free flowing golden hair that matches her almond-shaped amber eyes. Her skin was smooth and lightly tanned. She had a slim but athletic looking body and one might get a quick impression that she was quick and agile. I also noticed that she had fully-recovered from her injuries and looked a little too healthy in fact. She was staring at Miza and I curiously.

"Ahhh, perfect timing! This is the person I was telling you about, the one who saved you and brought you here." Morgan told her while gesturing at me, breaking the awkward silence. She looked at me again but this time she smiled warmly and I felt melting a little. She looked really nice when she smiles. Whoa. Where'd that come from?

"Hi, I'm KathelynHood but you can just call me Kate." She was still smiling when she held out her hand for me to shake. "You must be Calibre11, I was looking forward to meeting you and thanking you in person. You don't know how grateful I am; who knows what would've happened if you hadn't found me!"

"Your welcome. It's all part of my job I guess. It's nice to meet you too." I said a little shyly, shaking her hand while trying to fight back the melting feeling. "This is Miza, my corporal and second in command." Miza stood up and they shook hands as well.

"So you're both on the same clan?" she asked.

"Pretty much," Miza replied. "but we've know each other since we're kids though."

"Awwww…ain't that sweet!" Kate cooed.

"Not when you've put up with him for ten years." Miza rolled her eyes and made Kate giggle and Miza started talking about some stuff when I was a kid, which is kind of embarrassing, and they were soon laughing together like old friends.

"Well those two are getting along quite well." Morgan came up beside me. His wife was setting up the table.

"Yep, I can see that." I said, nodding.

"So are you planning on staying for the night? We have a spare room upstairs with two beds." Morgan offered. Good old Morgan, always so hospitable.

"No thanks, we're about to leave in a few minutes, maybe some other time?"

"How so? You just got here. The trip might have been very exhausting." He said with concern.

"I'm sorry Morgan but we really have to go. I need your help on another thing though, we need to reach the Wild-" I stopped myself before I spilled everything.

Morgan suddenly looked alarmed. "You're going to the Wilderness!" He said in somehow in a middle of a shout and whisper. "What for?"

"Is something wrong?" Maris asked, looking at us curiously with a couple of plates on her hand.

"Oh, it's nothing dear!" Morgan faked a smile. "We're just talking about that vampire."

"Can we talk about this somewhere private?" I said in a hushed tone when I saw her wife looking at us with that same curious expression. Miza was eyeing me knowingly but acted natural and began talking with Kate again. I followed Morgan to his study and sat down on the two wooden chairs.

"So tell me, why are you going to the wilderness?" He asked me with great interest.

"We need to find a temple." I began.

"A temple? My words there's quite a handful of temples around here. Take Lumbridge for example." He suddenly caught himself, and then asked. "What kind of temple, exactly?"

I looked cautiously around to see if anyone is eavesdropping on us and then I whispered. "A Zamorakian one."

Morgan turned pale. "By the name of Saradomin, what has gotten into your head! Is your life really dull that you find extraordinary ways to kill yourself! Do you have any idea what those cultists are like?"

"I don't really know! It's just, our friends were exploring some kind of Zamorakian temple by the Wilderness and they haven't been back in two weeks. We have to find out what happened to them and we came over here to see if she's okay and to find out if there's anything you might know about this temples."

Morgan seemed to be deep in thought. After a few seconds, he finally spoke up. "On the day before I left my homeland as a missionary, our head master gave me an old map that contains the locations of quite a few Zamorakian temples laid across Gielinor so I wouldn't stumble upon any of them unknowingly. But by that time, the map was so old it was woefully inaccurate! Can you believe that there's a Zamorakian temple right below the Lumbridge Graveyard? Anyways, I kept it away just in case I need to do some researching. If luck is on your side, you might be able to find the exact location of the temple you're looking for."

I felt a surge of hope fill my chest. "Where's the map then? Will you mind if we borrow it just this once?"

Morgan didn't even give a second thought. "Sure, why not? It's the least I could do. All we have left to do is to find the map. If I remember it correctly it's-"

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door of his study, it was Maris. "Dearest, lunch is ready, hurry it's getting cold and the young ladies are waiting!"

"We'll be right there!" Morgan called back. He was about to stand up but I pulled him back. "One more thing, what we're doing is illegal. We probably have some squads from our clan zooming in on our tail right now. Please understand, we're only doing this for my friends."

"I understand. Your loyalty to them is certainly admirable. Don't worry, this whole thing never happened. You never visited us."

"Thanks a lot! I guess I owe you this time."

He clapped my back and chuckled. "I guess you do. Wait a minute," his face lit up, "I think know where it is. It's on Kathelyn's room, on a trunk under her bed!"

"Let's go get it then!" We rushed out to the dining room when we heard a knock on the front door and a voice announced. "This is the Lionheart Clan, please open the door."

I cursed silently. Those rangers are pretty darn fast! Miza was already sitted on one of the chairs but she's also aware of what's going on. I looked at Morgan and he nodded.

"Goodness me, more guests?" Maris exclaimed. "I guess I should have cooked more. I don't think this would be enough."

"I don't think that would be necessary ma'am." I said, scratching the back of my head. I then remembered about the map, it was in Kate's room. I grabbed the knob and burst through the room with Miza suddenly calling out behind me. "Uh, Cal? I don't think you should go in there right-"

Too late. I was already inside and I was face to face with Kate who was frozen in motion where she was half-way on taking her blouse off. I don't whose face was redder, mine or hers, good thing though that I didn't see anything that I shouldn't see. But that doesn't mean I'm off the hook.

"I-I-I'm s-sorr-ry?" Were the only words I muttered. Kate suddenly pulled her blouse back down and shrieked. "GET OUT!"

Morgan was busy stalling whoever was out on the front door and they all stopped abruptly after hearing Kate's shriek. I grabbed Kate, cupped her mouth, closed the door and spoke in a hushed tone. "Hey! Hey! I'm sorry! It's just, I-I didn't know okay? I just need to get something on this room. It's very, very important!"

Kate was squirming to get free the whole time and finally stopped a few seconds later. "I'm letting go now, okay?" I asked, she nodded and I let go.

She sat back on her bed, panting a little. "You could've just knocked you know!"

I was about to explain more but I got knocked aside when the door opened behind me. It was Miza's turn to burst in the room. "You two can get a room LATER! Right now we have to go!" She hurriedly pulled me up. We closed the door and listened to the commotion outside. The voices were getting nearer and nearer. I could hear Morgan's faint voice. "It's probably my daughter; I'll go check on her."

"Can we come with you sir?" A voice I didn't recognize merely demanded, more than asked.

"What? Can't we get any privacy around here?"

"Sir, we're only following orders so please step aside and let us search your house. We promise to leave you alone as soon as we're done."

"But this is my house!" Morgan countered, getting worked out. "You are in my house and I get to say if you can enter or not!"

The voices continued to argue but still getting nearer.

"This is bad." Miza sighed and sat beside Kate on the bed. "I guess we have to fight our way through. I hate to do it but it's the only way."

"We can't do that. We might hurt Morgan and his wife." I replied.

"Are you guys fugitives or something?" Kate cut in.

"No. But to our clan, yes." Miza answered.

"Okay, I don't get it." Kate replied, even more confused.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later but we need to find that map and get out of here." I knelt beside the bed and pulled out a large dusty old wooden trunk. I opened it. The flying dust made me want to sneeze; I was looking through a dozen old books and pieces of paper when we heard a knock on Kate's door. Darn it! We need more time! There was a knock on the door again and this time Kate answered, "I'm coming, sheesh!"

I leafed through a bunch of notes and found the old map. I breathe a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Miza was busy tossing our packs outside the window before jumping outside herself. Kate opened the door slightly and acted like she was really irritated. "Who are you guys!"

"We're a ranger squad from the Lionheart Clan. We're looking for two people named Calibre11 and Miza. We have-"

"Do you think they'll be right here while I'm getting dressed up!" She cut him off.

"Uh…but you screamed-"

"There was a mouse in my wardrobe now please leave me alone for a few minutes so I can get dressed, then you look for them in here." And she slammed the door before the person on the other side could say anymore.

"You got it?" She asked me, I held it up. She nodded. "Okay, through the window, go!"

I gently exited via the window and Kate shut it once we're out. Miza was hiding behind one of the bushes not too far from me. I dove through the bush and landed next to her but I also landed on something unusually soft. I heard a groan and I looked at where I landed. There was an unconscious body of a ranger with a swollen cheek. I looked at Miza as if she was crazy.

"What? He happened to spot me while I was throwing the bags."

"Okay, I have the map, let's get going." I said. We were about to turn around when the window on Kate's bedroom was shattered by a flying chair and out dove Kate with the voices of the rangers shouting behind her. She spotted us and ran towards our direction. I saw one of the rangers by the window aiming his bow on her. I quickly unlatched my shield which was strapped on my back the whole time. I grabbed Kate just as the ranger released his arrow and lifted my shield to cover both of us. There was a clanging sound as the arrow ricocheted off the metal surface of my shield.

Kate picked up the ranger's bow and quiver and we ran towards the willows behind us as fast as we could. If I'm guessing right, Kate is a ranger though I'm not sure yet.

"Way to go knight in shining armour." Miza said between pants as we continued to run. We zipped by large clusters of willows pushing aside the long moist green vines hanging from their branches. We bumped on a bunch of woodcutters but we picked ourselves up and pressed on.

After a few minutes, I was gasping for breath, my whole body felt like it was made of lead and my armour seemed to weigh a ton. Miza wasn't looking very well herself. Kate was also panting but she looked better than the two of us though which is quite obvious since she isn't wearing any armour. We collapsed by a large yew, about twenty to twenty five feet tall. The terrain has changed the short while we ran. The air was warm and humid as if we're in a-.

"Swamp. Lumbridge Swamp." Kate sighed. Did she just read my mind? "I can't believe I'm back here."

"Why did you do it?" Miza asked.

"Do what?"

"That jumping off the window thing." Miza rolled her eyes.

"My cover was blown. They remembered that Morgan didn't have a daughter. He told me to run and so I did."

"Well I guess that's the right thing to do." She shrugged. Kate ran her hand on the bowstring. "So are you a ranger?"

"Yep, been training for months now. I never considered going full time though. Sure, I make more money than just being a shop assistant but I end up getting myself beaten up and almost losing my life."

"That's true with all the combat classes." Miza explained. "It's an occupational hazard. So what are you going to do now? You mind as well get back to your family."

Kate's face dropped. "To tell you the truth, I never had a family. I got some friends though. Say, you still haven't explained to me why you guys are being hunted and stuff!"

"Do we have to?" I said.

Kate slung the bow on her shoulder and folded her arms. "You told me earlier that you'll explain everything. Mind you, I still haven't forgotten that little run in you did back in my room!"

I blushed a little and then sighed. How many times do I have to explain this? We sat down and Miza and I told her everything for a few minutes. We also took that time to get our much needed rest.

"I see." Kate contemplated once we're done. "So that's why they're after you two…"

"I hate to say this, but I guess this is where we go separate ways." Miza said sadly, bringing Kate back from here thoughts.

"Wait a minute! What if-" Kate was about to explain but her eyes went wide, she suddenly raised her bow and yelled. "GET DOWN!"

Miza and I both ducked. Kate released her arrow and zipped straight through one of the thick redberry bushes. There was a groan followed by a soft thud. Two rangers emerged on opposite sides where we were resting.

"Weapons down," One of them said. "Just come with us."

"Don't worry," Kate assured. "I didn't kill him."

"Alright, Miza and Kate, take the guy on the left, I got this one." They both nodded and we charged straight to the rangers.

I drew my longsword. He fired a shot but I guess he was on the verge of panic since he didn't even try to aim and I easily dodged the arrow, missing a couple of inches from my head. I swung my sword and he leapt back not knowing what I was targeting. There was a sharp _THWANG_ sound as my sword caught his bowstring. He yelled in frustration, threw down the now-useless bow and drew his steel dagger. I could see hesitation in his eyes. Most rangers are dead meat when it comes to close-quarters combat. He didn't want to do this and neither do I, but we both don't have any choice. He went for a stab and I easily blocked it with my shield, making his blade bounce back. He clutched his arm and I rammed my shield into his face. He hit a nearby tree and fell down unconscious.

I glanced at the two girls. They seem to be having a hard time taking on the other ranger and I can see why. The guy was wearing green dragonhide armour. He's no doubt a lieutenant and the leader of this squad. Miza slashed fiercely with her scimitar but the ranger was too fast and simply jumped back and fired a few more arrows. Kate stayed closely behind Miza, who can't manage to close in much since the ranger kept her busy deflecting his arrows, and sniped at the ranger. I went over to have a better look. This was their fight and I'll only jump in if it's really necessary.

Kate whispered something to Miza and they both nodded. Miza then let out a battle cry and charged at the ranger. Their plan was unclear at first but I soon figured. Kate kneeled down and waited as Miza sprinted over the ranger whose expression looked like he got it all figured out as well. We'll see…

Miza was getting nearer but when she was barely five or six meters away, she tripped. She let out a _WHOA!_ and tumbled on the dirt. The ranger looked down in confusion and that's when Kate took her chance and fired. The arrow nailed him right on the shoulder and the force pushed him to the ground. Before he could get up, Miza rolled beside him and smacked his head with the butt of her scimitar. The ranger's coif cushioned most of the force and the ranger quickly recovered and kicked her away. He was about to stand up but Kate was also on him and with one roundhouse kick, her shin finding contact with his face, the ranger tumbled and fell face first into the dirt. Miza went in for the final blow with her fist on his face and he lay down unconscious. The fight was over.

The two girls were panting and gave each other a clap on the back, with a wild grin on their faces. I went over. "Now that's what I'm talking about! If Vzuy and Ash were to see that-" I stopped. I remembered why we were doing this, and it seems like the two of them did too. We slung our packs and prepared to move at once. Kate took the other ranger's studded leather body and chaps. The coif proved to be too big for her and it reeked as she said.

"So, I guess this is it." I told her as she was adjusting her chaps. She had a disappointed look on her face. So does Miza.

"When this thing works out, we'll come back and probably invite you to join us." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're quite a fighter. We definitely need someone like you in our clan."

She smiled her warm smile again and I felt the temperature around me rise a little. "What if I come with you guys instead? You sure need an extra hand."

"What? It's too dangerous. Besides, you're friend's are probably worried-"

"Please! Can I come!" She pleaded. "I've never felt anything like this before. My life's always been dull but ever since you saved me, it all changed! I don't know if it was you, or your clan or whatever, something changed me! Please let me come with you! You'll need my help. "

"Cal? I think we should-" Miza was about to say but I cut her off.

"No! I can't risk another person's life. It's bad enough that I let you come."

"That's selfish of you!" Miza argued. "We know how to take care of ourselves! I didn't become your corporal for nothing you know? Vzuy would have agreed if he was here."

"Cal, please?" Kate was looking at me with her sad amber eyes and I was so tempted to finally agree with her but I stopped myself. Why can't they understand that I don't want to lose anymore of my friends? I turned around instead and walked away. I hear them both sigh.

Suddenly, the guy I knocked out earlier sprang up, with dagger in hand, lunged at me. I was caught off guard; there wasn't time to draw my weapon. I saw everything in slow motion, the glinting point of the blade inching nearer and nearer my neck in each second only to be stopped by an arrow suddenly piercing his hand. He cried in agony as the arrow went through his palm and lodged itself on the tree beside him. I then bopped him with my sword in the head, a little harder this time.

I looked at Kate and she was looking at me with an expression that says '_Can I come now?_'

I sighed. "Okay, but just for now. If I tell you to leave, you leave, got it?"

"Yes sir!" She gave me a mock salute and she and Miza hugged each other. Her smile was back and it made me smile too but regret still scratched me inside.

**(**So, that took a while. My update time is slow but it may speed up a little with a couple of reviews or something. Anyways, the next chapter will be titled The Escape. Read on and don't forget to leave a review! Iron Raven out…**)**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N: **Anybody there? Its been a long time but I've finally updated! I could give tons of reasons for that but I guess you'd be more interested with the chapter than my lousy excuses. I changed the title by the way. It was supposed to be "The Escape" but I decided to use it to name the next chapter. Anyway, here we go…**)**

**Chapter Eight: Revival, Arrival**

The tool shed reeked like rat droppings but we had no choice. Apparently, this is the only abandoned house we can find. We tried to take shelter on a cottage at the edge of the swamp but it was owned by a grumpy priest who shooed us away complaining about his mortgage and stuff so we had no choice but to use this abandoned tool shed in the middle of the swamp.

I laid the map spread out on the wooden work table. It was indeed old. The crisp paper was turning dark brown and the words and illustrations were a little smudged but we can still make out most of it somehow. We were all gathered around examining it. It was the map of Gielinor alright, but there were so many landmarks that I don't even recognize!

"These are probably the location of the Saradominist temples!" Miza pointed out the house symbols with a four-pointed star on its top. There were about fifty of them spread mostly in Varrock, Edgeville and Falador. I didn't know there were so many but I guess most of them are gone now.

"And these are Zamorakian ones right?" Kate pointed on the house symbols with a crude letter "W" on its top. They were much fewer and scattered. Morgan was right. There is one on where Lumbridge Graveyard is at but that's not what we're looking for. I traced the border of the wilderness from the north of Varrock through the westernmost part of Falador. My finger stopped right before Falador's borders. There was a temple so close to the border but it's not in the wilderness. It's right before the wilderness. This one fits the descriptions exactly!

"We got our temple." I said. They both looked at me and nodded. "Only problem is how we get there. We need a path that will take us straight north but as far away from the area of Falador as possible."

"I think I might know how." Kate said smiling. Being a citizen of Lumbridge, she knows the way around better than Miza or I. "Do you have some spare clothes? Coz the ride's going to be wet and bumpy!"

***** **A few hours later, at the Zamorakian temple. The ceremony was at its peak…

Ash slumped on the stone table where he was recklessly thrown unto. His right eye was swollen shut, his chest ached from the multiple broken ribs making his breathing very painful, and blood was trickling down from his forehead and on his countless wounds. Vzuy was lying on a corner still receiving some kicks from his three attackers. The other one was right beside Ash though he simply stood there knowing that his captive doesn't have any chances of escaping. It was almost sundown and the light is slowly fading in from the dilapidated ceremonial room.

Soon after, the chanting of several men was heard and the monks dressed in crimson robes arrived. The lead monk was holding something covered with a red cloth. The chanting persisted as they took their places; the leader standing behind the stone table where Ash's half-dead body was slumped unto.

The lead monk raised his hand and the chanting stopped. He gave an amused look at the two lieutenants and spoke; "Brothers! We are all gathered here for the second Centrillux **(A/N: **I made that up.**)** of the year where we shall perform the additional ceremonies!"

The air was filled with eerie silence as he unwrapped the cloth and revealed a large jug of wine. It looked like any ordinary wine except for the fact that it smells horrible. A putrid decaying scent filling the whole room but the monks and the large men were barely affected. He shouted, raising his hands. "Behold! Feast your eyes on the mighty Wine of Zamorak! Bring in the first one!"

The large burly man harshly pulled one of Ash's arms and held it raised on top of the jug. The monks started chanting again. _Q'ou Pada…Nouwandi…Batai d'va…Habouji….._

The lead monk pulled something out of his robe; a black dagger. With a sinister grin, he gripped Ash's arm and slashed at it. Fresh blood trickled form his deeply cut arm. A drop fell on the wine and the liquid shimmered a faint shade of crimson. Ash by this time has lost a lot of blood and drifted off. The man then threw Ash's unconscious body aside and went over to join the others.

The ceremony was interrupted when a sound of someone walking with armour was heard. The men stood in alert as someone emerged from the shadows of the entrance. It was a tall man in black armour without the helm. His long dark hair fell on his shoulders and his green eyes were like a panther's. He returned all the hard stares given to him by the monks. His gaze finally rested on Vzuy.

Vzuy's vision was blurred but when he saw the blurred image of the man in black armour, his skin crawled and his eyes widened. It can't be! Why is he here!

The lead monk spoke, obviously irritated. "You have guts coming here and interrupting us in the middle of the ceremony!"

The knight turned his attention to the monk. "Just here to supervise your little project which I may remind you is heavily dependent on the Black Knight Organization. Well, what are you waiting for? Continue…"

The monk muttered some indistinct words but carried on with the ritual. "Bring him here!"

The chanting resumed as they dragged Vzuy to the stone table. The knight watched, feigning interest. The process was repeated; with Vzuy's arm getting slashed as well and his blood dripping to the wine but this time was a little different.

The lead monk grabbed Vzuy's chin and lifted it with a sinister smile on his face making sure that the teenager was seeing it. "I always saved the best for last and you my boy," He laughed evilly. "are going to taste it first-hand! Dirk! Lamar!"

He called the two larger men and they grabbed Vzuy and slammed him on the stone table. They grabbed his face and pulled down his jaw. At first he has no idea what they were going to do but realization hit him when he saw the lead monk slowly loifting the wine beside him and gently tipped it on his mouth. The men forced his mouth open. He struggled but the other two men held him fast. They all had evil grins on their faces as the chanting grew louder. The lead monk then tilted the jug a little more and a volume of the liquid they call wine fell on Vzuy's mouth. The lead monk spoke as he poured the liquid. "Now may I remind you, nobody has ever survived after drinking that wine. By the time someone does, it's either the wine is ready or you possess divine powers which is highly doubtful."

Vzuy's first impression was to spit it out but the moment it hit the insides of his mouth, it burned like acid. His throat constricted and burned as if the liquid is forcing itself to be swallowed. In a few seconds, his whole body began to feel like it was being frozen, melted, roasted and ripped open all at the same time. The men let go as he trashed and screamed over and over again. The pain was beyond anyone could think of. His blood curdling screams filled the whole room and it took him a full minute before he fell limp to the ground face-down.

Vzuy's mind was numb. Everything was numb. Was he dead? No. Not yet. Maybe close. He could still hear their voices faintly. That's when he heard another voice; very deep as if it had just awoken from inside him.

_"Vzuy…it's time…rise up and announce to the world who you really are! Time to prove that you are worthy!"_

A sudden course of energy rushed in his body. He took a deep breath and began to get up. There were gasps from the men around him. He felt something burning in his chest and it's not from the wounds. He also noticed that the men were also staring intently at it. The lead monk tried to speak but it came out to be a stutter. "Y-you! I-it c-can't be! F-forgive us! W-we are w-w-willing t-to serve you!"

He glanced on his bare chest and there it was. A symbol. As if he was branded but that thought didn't linger long in his mind though. Aside from the burning sensation in his chest, he felt revived, renewed. Without him knowing it, he was smiling. A smile that sent terror to the faces of the monks as they tried to escape but the entrance was shut. The black knight and the wine were both gone. The other monks pounded on the door and pleaded for the knight to open it while the lead monk just stood there frozen in fear. The large men surrounded him nervously.

"Now it's my turn." He said in a low voice with almost a laugh. There was also a strange glint on his eyes. "I am so going to enjoy this!"

**(A/N: **I decided to cut this scene right here since the thoughts running on my mind at the moment I'm writing this are so, well…disturbing and it might make this fic Rated M which I don't really want.**)**

***Meanwhile, near the raging waters of Northern Lum…

**Calibre11 POV:**

It took us a while to make the waka canoe which was big enough for the tree of us. It was a good one though; nine-foot long and four-feet wide leaving plenty of space for us. By the time we were done, it was almost late afternoon. The water was fine and we canoed smoothly for about an hour until we reached the northern part of the river Lum. The current is so much wilder in this area and it's really ideal that we used a waka canoe but that's not the real problem.

Just as we were about to reach the rapids, we heard a whistle. It was followed by another one and then another.

"We're not alone are we?" Kate spoke quietly; her eyes darting from side to side. We drew our weapons. Suddenly, out of nowhere…

_ZING! ZING! ZING! THUD! THUD! THUD!_

Three black metal objects were sticking from the side of our canoe; crossbow bolts. Uh oh…

"Get down!" I yelled as I raised my shield. There was a series of clanging sounds as more crossbow bolts bounced on my rune kiteshield. Miza had her helm on and her shield was raised as well on the opposite side. The attack was coordinated. It was coming not just from anywhere, but somewhere where we are the least vulnerable. Meanwhile, the canoe was nearing the rapids.

"Cal, put your helm on!" Miza shouted, her voice muffled by her helm. "Those Ravens would surely aim for your big head!"

I rolled my eyes. Kate grabbed my helm and put in on me. I nodded in gratitude as she picked up the oars and prepared to stir the canoe while Miza and I will provide cover for her.

"Are you sure you can do this?" I asked her; my voice slightly drowned by the sounds of bolts clanging on our shield and the raging water up ahead.

"It's alright! My friend Susan and I do this all the time!" She yelled back. "Though she's always the one stirring this thing."

That's just the thing she has to say to make me feel reassured…

"Here we go!" She yelled. We braced ourselves for the rough ride. Our canoe swerved side by side avoiding rocks and other obstacles. Kate was doing fine! That is, until she got hit.

She yelped and fell back, clutching her shoulder. I raised my shield on top of her protectively while Miza examined her wound. That's when something heavy dropped on our canoe. Wait. It wasn't something but someone!

A pretty teenage girl about my age with long jet-black hair and dressed in black assassin's gear was standing in front of us…on a canoe…while moving in the rapids...How did she do that?

"Lt. Yumi, Iron Raven second squad!" She announced drawing her black dagger. "Step out of the canoe!"

"I think that's quite impossible with our situation right now." I replied. She smirked and attacked. Miza intercepted her with a swing of her scimi but Yumi was lighter and more agile and she simply moved out of the way and kicked Miza back, almost falling over. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back at the same time parrying Yumi's dagger with my longsword which is pretty hard.

Kate grabbed her bow and fired a shot but Yumi kicked her bow sideways and she was way off mark. Kate kicked her in the stomach and she stepped back. I rammed my shield into her but she grabbed it by the sides and used my momentum to swing behind me. She was about to kick me off when the canoe lurched forward lifting us into the air. I use this opportunity to turn around and my shield connected with her head with a loud _BONG!_

She fell back to the canoe unconscious. I checked if everyone else was alright. Miza was back to examining Kate's wound.

"It's not that serious. The leather armour got most of it." She said as she pulled the bolt from Kate's shoulder. It wasn't deep as I thought which was a relief.

Kate sighed. "Thanks Miza. Wait a minute. Who's stirring this thing?"

As she said it, the canoe crashed on a large boulder and we were all thrown several feet and landed on muddy ground which cushioned our fall, more or less. The canoe on the other hand was totally destroyed and only pieces of wood were left drifting by the banks.

"This is just great!" Miza cried out.

"Calm down sis. We're here anyway." I said glancing at the walls of the city of Varrock. I'm not bragging but it wasn't as grand as the Falador. Heck, Falador is a million times better than this place!

"Uh, guys, what about her?" Kate said pointing at the unconscious body of the Raven Lieutenant; her forehead was swollen.

"What about her? I say we put her back to the river for giving us all that trouble." Miza mumbled. I stared at her. She sighed. "Fine…we won't…"

I took out my sleeping bag in my pack and wrapped Yumi around it and lay her under the shade of a nearby oak tree where her squadmates might hopefully find her.

"Well, the border is close by, let's go!" I said when I was done. The sky was getting dark and we all know that she isn't the only Raven out there.

We leapt over the wilderness border which is made of collapsed ancient walls of who knows what. We stayed low and moved as quietly as possible, using the collapsed wall as cover. We watched for signs of any squads around but we heard none. In fact there was nothing to be seen. The dull grey sand on under our feet, the remains of small ancient beasts, and the occasional dust being blown by gusts of wind. The place looked so lonely and desolate it made it seem like it's just pure wasteland and not worth exploring but we all knew better. This place is neutral territory, meaning, it has no laws or anything and adventurers would sometimes stage duels to the death or raid unsuspecting people or explorers. There were also rumors of powerful beasts roaming everywhere some thought to have been spawns of those monsters who survived the God Wars.

Soon we made it pass the monastery, then Ice Mountain and Falador. When we felt it was safe enough, we leapt over the border again.

We were creeping through a cabbage patch when Miza spotted a castle. It was hidden behind the mountains and thick fog making it impossible to be seen from far away. Something tells me we're not in friendly territory. There were dark figures shaped like people patrolling the area. We decided to move in closer. They weren't just people, they were Black Knights! We all know about their story and it just proves that we are not in friendly territory any more. My thoughts flashed on what might have happened to Ash and Vzuy when they discovered this place.

We crept in closer. Kate tripped on something. She then jumped back and cupped her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. She tripped on a body. What's strange is it belonged to a Black Knight. His body had several arrows sticking on his back.

I went over to her. "You alright?" She nodded.

"Uhh guys? You better look this way…" We both turned to Miza. She was raising her arms. A group of about three rangers, a girl and two boys, had their bows trained on her back. I realized they were from our clan.

"Stand down!" I removed my helm and their jaws dropped and quickly lowered their bows.

"L-lieutenant! It's you! You finally came!" One of them cried out and then his voice slowly died. "And that means…"

They looked at Miza who removed her helm and flashed them an annoyed look. If looks could kill, these three would have dropped dead on the spot. "Yes, it's me! Didn't you notice us on our clan capes!"

"Ummm…well your capes…" One of them tried to say. It was then that I noticed that our capes were torn and caked with mud making it hard to recognize.

"It's fine. You're with Vzuy right?" I asked the two rangers, they nodded. "Raxnay and Mac2322."

"We found one of Lt. CoolAsh132's men a few days ago and we've been stuck here ever since." The Raxnay said.

"We were ambushed. Just like the previous squad. We never knew the Black Knights and goblins have formed an alliance!" Mac added. "There were also Zamorakian monks who can cast weaken spells."

"Do you know where the temple is?" I asked.

"Yes. South of the castle beside the goblin village." The other ranger said. " I'm Allenking8. I was with Lt. CoolAsh132's squad. We were overrun on our first encounter with the Black Knights. Those monks cast spells that made my squadmates faint on the spot. There were two of us who escaped but the other one got caught. I luckily found their group a few days back. We sent three of us to get help but they never returned. And that was a week ago."

"Well, I guess you better come with us." I stood up and gazed towards the south of the castle. I got everything I need. "It's not a scouting mission anymore. We're getting them out."

**(A/N: **Done and done! For all those who are familiar of Unreal Tournament (especially UT99) the words in the chant were borrowed from the Nalis :P . Anyways, I'll try to post whenever I can but meanwhile, please read and review! Iron Raven out…**)**


	9. Chapter 9

**(**This came out earlier than expected. My mind seemed to be tuned to Runescape right now which means most of the ideas that pop out are Runescape-related. Anyways this chapter would be a little graphic, brutal or stuff like that. You've been warned. Chapter nine, here we go…**)**

**Chapter Nine: The Escape**

"Hold it!" Miza cried out loud but stopped abruptly and then continued with a lower tone. "angel rose1 told us it's only a scouting mission! We now know where they are. Let's go report to the captain."

I shook my head. "That would take too long. Who knows what's happening to them right now. We might be too late! I know you want to Miza. Are you backing down now that we've come this close?"

"I have to admit that I do." She replied. The others were watching silently as we have our argument. "That place could have close to a hundred Black Knights crawling all over the place!"

"More than a hundred actually." Mac supplied.

"Thank you. You see?" Miza pointed at the castle. "We're only two warriors and four rangers. What chance do we have? All I'm saying is we need more manpower. We simply can't barge in, kill all bad guys, and get our friends out. If only it was that simple, but no it's not! We can not accomplish anything here by ourselves!"

I looked down. She has a point. I know it's not that simple but I know it's not impossible either. The sky was getting dark. I glanced at the three rangers who were introducing themselves to Kate. "Raxnay, Mac and Allen, how much supplies do you have left?"

Raxnay unclipped her quiver and placed it on the ground in front of her including her bag and other things. "I have about three dozen steel-tipped arrows, this willow longbow and a steel dagger."

"I got forty-nine steel-tipped arrows, a dozen mithril-tipped ones, this willow shortbow, and a steel dagger." Mac said as he laid his own equipment along with Raxnay's pile.

"I got this oak shortbow, two dozen steel-tipped arrows which are both not mine, and a steel sword." Allen laid his stuff on the pile.

I sat down by the rock right in front of the pile and began to think. Hundreds of knights and other creatures against the six of us; we could get overwhelmed easily. I know what we have isn't enough but there has to be a way!

My thoughts were interrupted by a hand being placed on my shoulder. I looked up. It was Kate.

"She has a point you know." She began to say in a low voice so that only the two of us can hear. "It's simply too risky but I'll let you know one thing. If you and Miza were there instead of them, I would've done anything to get you two out; even if that means digging a tunnel, hypnotizing a guard or even dress up as one of them!"

The gears began to turn. I got it!

"Kate, you're a genius!"I said out loud. Everyone looked.

Her face turned red and she asked; confused. "Huh?"

"We won't have to fight them all. I got a plan…" Everyone huddled together around me except for Miza. "This still has very slim chances but I'm sure it would work out if we do it correctly but first I need to know who's in. It's okay to back down. You guys have been here so long. I won't hold it against you."

"Are you kidding!" Mac said. "Those guys took out our squads and we want payback!"

"Yeah!" The other two chimed in.

"Kate?"

"Absolutely. I'm with you. I'll take this as a challenge to prove that I'm worthy to join your clan!"

I looked at the blue haired girl who was staring intently at the castle. Her face was grim and she looked paler than usual. "Miza?"

"Something's happened. T-to him." Her voice was tight.

"What's wrong? What happened to who?" I went over to her. She wasn't feeling like this before.

"To Vzuy. I don't know. It's just a feeling." She shook her head and suddenly began to be determined. "Whatever your plan is, I'm in. I don't know what's happening to them in there but I won't stick around here. I'm going to find out myself!"

I nodded. "So we're all going."

"You people are not going anywhere…" A voice behind us spoke. We all turned around and saw a group of about three dozen black knights with their black swords drawn. We were so caught up with our plan we didn't notice they were closing in. The rangers picked up their gear and we prepared ourselves to fight.

The black knight in the middle was probably their leader since he's the only one wearing a black full helm while the others were wearing medium ones. "Planning to free your little friends, eh?" His voice was raspy and slightly slurred. "We're here to make sure that won't happen."

Miza and I took the front as the rangers stood in position behind us. The knights charged. Miza and I spread out. I took the left and she took the right as the rangers open fired in the middle, nailing three of the knights.

"Aaarrgghh!" Allenking8 cried out. "Why am I fighting like this? I'm not even a ranger!" He dropped his bow, drew his sword and engaged on the nearest black knight. The other rangers were moving back, creating distance as they shot knight after knight. Miza and I met in the middle and were surrounded, cut off from the rangers. We stood with our backs on each other.

"I can't believe you plan failed even before we could have a chance to do it." Miza said half-jokingly.

"It hasn't failed yet." I scanned the area. Good. All of them are here and nobody even bothered to go back to the castle and report. "If only there were more of us. Also, a mage could really be helpful right now."

There was a loud explosion as a column of fire erupted somewhere in front of the rangers. The knights stumbled backward while those that were surrounding us turned around, distracted. I don't know if the universe has finally considered that I should be lucky today even just for once because I recognized whom that fire blast spell belongs to.

Make that twice. All of a sudden, crossbow bolts suddenly rained down on the knights around us. The black metal in the bolts makes them almost impossible to be spotted in the now early evening light. Five people dressed in black assassin's gear dashed into the scene including a familiar long haired girl; their daggers stabbing the knights on the weak spots on their armour with such quickness and precision; Ravens.

"Goodness me, someone had his wishes granted." A familiar liquid-like woman's voice spoke. I turned and saw angel rose1 in grey combat mage outfit. The gem on her staff gleamed and a couple of runes were on her hands. I have never been glad to see her.

Everything was going our way. The rangers, now free from the knights that were closing in them began to shoot down those remaining knights that tried to escape. The leader had other plans though, he charged at Allenking8. Allen barely had time to react. He raised his sword but the leader savagely parried it away. He kicked him on the chest and sent the teenager to the dirt. Allen rolled aside and picked up his sword but the leader was already on him. He cried out as the blade pierced his thigh. I finally reached them and slammed my shield on the leader's face making him stumble back. Kate came too and dragged Allen away.

"Curse you all! The Black Knights shall prevail!" He charged. His sword clanged against my shield while I spun a full 360-degrees slashing with my longsword downwards. My blade caught him on his right shoulder since I'm left handed. It sliced through his black armour almost too easily; leaving a large wound on his chest. He fell on his knees, took off his helm, and gazed at me with pure hate before falling to the ground. I went back to check on Allenking8.

"I'm afraid we have to take him somewhere else. This place has attracted too much attention." angel rose1 said as she scanned the battlefield; bodies of knights lay scattered everywhere in the midst of some burning patches of grass. We gently lifted Allen away somewhere near the wilderness wall. angel began treating Allen's wounds while we took a minute to catch our breaths along with the Ravens.

Yumi sat beside me on a fallen slab of rock which used to be a part of the wall's column; the early moonlight reflecting in her jet-black hair. "I guess we're not properly introduced. I'm Yumi2297148 but you can just call me Yumi."

"I'm Calibre11 but you can just call me Cal, and sorry for what I did earlier. You tried to kill us. We're just defending ourselves."

"I should be the one to apologize. I should have told you first that your captain requested the two of you to be captured should you deny his orders of you two to go back to Falador." She looked down and played nervously with the string of her crossbow. "I just have a bad history with you Lions and I thought everyone in your clan was some mean-spirited bully but you proved me wrong. Thanks for what you did for me back then."

She smiled and pecked me on the cheek. I looked at her surprised; my cheeks were burned. "What?" She said still smiling with a mischievous glint on her onyx eyes. "It's a way to say thanks."

"Saying thanks was good enough though." I was about to say more but Kate, who was sitting across from us, stood up abruptly. She seems upset about something.

"Hey Cal!" She tugged at my arm; pulling me away. "Shouldn't you tell everyone about your plan?"

"Oh, right." I stood up and went over to angel rose1. Everyone huddled together in front of me again. Once everyone was there, even the Ravens, I began to tell them my plan.

*** A few hours later

"I hope this works." Miza said beside me. Her voice muffled by the black full helm she was wearing. The four of us: Mac, Kate, Miza and I were all clad in black armour which we took from the knights back in the field once we were finished hiding their bodies.

We neared the large wooden double doors of the castle. About twenty knights were present in the area. Most were just lounging while others were doing routine patrols.

"Just act natural. We'll be fine." I said reassuringly. We arrived at the front doors. The three knights stationed there opened the doors which creaked loudly. We passed through. I was sweating through my armour even though it was a cold evening. We need to find the back door. It's the fastest way to get to the temple aside from going around the whole castle.

We turned right across a long corridor with grey walls lined with torched and banners. I breathed a sigh of relief but a black knight behind us suddenly cried out. "Hey! You at the back!"

We froze. After a few seconds we turned around slowly. The knight caught up with us. He was looking at Kate! I tried to see what's wrong and I saw that Kate's armour was several sizes bigger than her! "Your armour is too large! Get that fixed up in the armoury!"

"Uh… That's why we're here. We're going to the armoury!" I said trying to sound mean.

"Well, if that's the case you're going the wrong way. It's to the left, around the corner, pass the kitchen. There's a staircase leading to the armoury."

"Thanks. I mean, we knew that!" I huffed and moved past him. The others followed.

"You have to be so slim…" Miza told Kate once they were out of earshot from the knight.

"Hey! At least he told us the directions to the armoury." Kate retorted.

"But the armoury isn't what we're looking for!" Miza countered.

"Yes, we're here for the kitchen." I cut in.

"This isn't the time for snacks!" Miza said, annoyed.

"I'm not Ash, I don't eat on the job. Besides, the kitchen is always located somewhere at the back of the castle where they always have-"

"A back door." Miza said finishing my sentence.

On the way, we passed a couple of black knights who were talking about a junior battalion that hasn't returned yet. I'm guessing those were the guys we ran in earlier. We found our way to the kitchen. We slipped in one by one. The cook was busy preparing dinner that he didn't mind us coming in. We made our way to the back door and found ourselves on a vegetable garden.

We leapt over the wooden fence and out of the garden. There was a narrow dirt road and not far ahead was some sort of dilapidated stone structure. I found myself already walking towards the building. It's the temple! They are in there. I just know it. Miza seem to sense too and she's not far behind.

We noticed a large group of knights heading to our direction. We moved aside as they ran pass us. One of them, who had long jet-black hair flying over his face said "Hurry! He won't be contained in there much longer!"

His voice sounded familiar but I dismissed the idea. Once they've passed us, we continued our way. About twenty metres away, we heard a blood curdling scream coming from inside the temple and then everything was silent again. We became cautious and crept slowly towards the barricaded entrance. Whoever or whatever was in there we'll find out soon enough.

***A few moments earlier, inside the temple…

"P-p-lease. No!" The lead monk pleaded as he crawled desperately away. His right arm was already severed and he barely made an inch with every attempt to crawl away. He cried as Vzuy's foot slammed on his back. The teenager was smeared with blood in all parts of his body along with the steel sword in his hand which still had fresh blood dripping from it. His gaze, cold as ice, was fixed on the wounded man he just stepped on.

"Pathetic…" He muttered as he raised his sword for the final blow. He gazed at all the other mutilated bodies that were either scattered or piled on each other around the room. One more body should join the pile very soon.

"I-I didn't know! I didn't know! Please let me live!" The man continued to cry. "I only did it to serve our Lord Zamorak!"

"Unfortunately…we don't need your services anymore…" Vzuy smiled. He turned the man over with his foot so he could have a good look at his horrified face. The monk's expression suddenly turned into a hopeless one. Just by seeing Vzuy's face, he knew he wasn't going to let him live. He made one final scream as the sword was brought down on his throat…

Vzuy stood there for a full minute. It was a full minute of nothingness. Just blank. His mind, his senses, his body; all blank.

"_You have done well…Just as I expected from you…Though there will be more tests...Be prepared…" _The voice inside him spoke.

"What do you mean?" He whispered. The whole world suddenly crashed into Vzuy's mind all at once: all the people he just killed, how he killed them, and what he looked and felt like as he did it. He suddenly felt sick to the core. He threw up, sobbed, and curled to a ball in the corner of the bloody room. He remained there, sobbing and feeling sick. All of a sudden, he felt something cold in his chest. He looked down. His bare chest doesn't bear the marking anymore but he is wearing a silver pendant. How it got there he didn't know, he doesn't seem to care. All he cared about is the symbol: a crude letter "W".

***Outside the temple…

**Calibre11 POV:**

We managed to remove the barricades. On the count of three, I kicked the door open and it revealed a gruesome sight. Bodies, blood and gore everywhere; on the walls, by the floor… Someone was curled to a ball at the farthest corner of the room. I was stunned by what I just saw. We removed our helmets and let them dropped on the bloody floor. Kate threw up almost immediately, Mac followed soon after. I felt the rising in my stomach as well but I fought it down. I had to keep it together for the sake of my friends.

"Vzuy? Oh gods!" Miza cried out and ran towards the figure in the corner, ignoring everything around here. I noticed someone moving slightly by the wall near him, covered in shadows. I went over and checked; Ash.

"We're here. It's going to be alright! It's going to be alright! What happened to you?" Miza was sobbing now as she gently lifted Vzuy's head and pulled him close to her. His brown hair was messy and matted with dried blood, his eyes were glazed over but he still seemed to be breathing. He and Ash were horribly messed up: slashes; bruises and cuts were all over their bodies. It looked like they were tortured.

Kate and Mac, unable to withstand the sight volunteered to check the inner quarters. Mac came running out a few minutes later with his face pale. "We need to call in the Ravens now. We found our squad mates."

He went outside and whistled three times. In a minute three Ravens came into sight. Yumi wasn't one of them. A large explosion rocked the castle and the air was filled with screams of men followed by more explosions.

The Ravens were also taken aback at what they've seen but they manage to regain their composure and followed Mac into the inner quarters. The five of them were soon carrying one wounded person each. I picked up Ash and lifted him on my shoulders. He was barely conscious probably because of severe blood lost. I looked at Miza, she has stopped crying and was now gently stroking Vzuy's hair, murmuring things, trying to comfort him. I've never seen her so devastated like this before.

"Miza, we need to take him out of here." I said almost in a whisper. "Miss angel and the remaining Ravens can't keep up the distraction forever."

She nodded slowly and muttered to Vzuy's ear; streaks of tears still lined her cheeks. "We're getting out of here. We're taking you home, okay?" She gently helped him up. I went over and we both put each of his arms around our shoulders. Slowly but steadily, we made our way out of the temple.

The explosions continued as we made our way to the woods on the side of the castle. It was dark making it difficult to find our way through but the Ravens, being night operations as their expertise, easily led the way. We had a view of the clearing ahead of us and we saw Lt. angel rose1 bombard the castle with a mix of powerful fire and earth spells. The knights were thrown into hopeless chaos. Those who tried to organize themselves were taken out by Yumi and her partner.

We stepped out into the clearing. A couple of knights noticed us and charged only to be taken down one by one by Raxnay's arrows. She was positioned strategically on top of one of the nearby rocky hills. Her longbow was perfect for sniping on long distances aided with the powerful mithril arrows Mac had given her. Allenking8 was with her because of his wound and he isn't happy about it one bit.

We were barely half-way there. I turned to see miss angel stopping for a few seconds, panting, before casting another spell. She's getting tired. We need to make it to the hill where Raxnay is. Yumi and her partner joined us. She was breathing heavily and her voice was hoarse, probably from all the smoke. "I'm out of bolts and most of the knights are gone."

I signalled for miss angel and she stopped. She hurriedly joined us at the base of the hill. "Oh my, I haven't been this worked up in years!" She said between breaths.

Raxnay came down to meet us with Allen limping right behind her. "I saw many of the knights escape to the wilderness, probably to regroup. Now that the spells have stopped, they might return for a counter-attack."

She was about to say more but was shocked when she saw the condition of the people we're carrying. "Wha-what happened to them?"

angel rose1 who had only noticed them by now dropped her staff in shock. "Oh, the poor things! Have them lay down here. I'll see what I can do."

We did as she told and she started applying first-aid to them. Miza sat silently beside Vzuy grasping his hand firmly. Raxnay went back to her position up in the hill. Everyone else collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion.

"This is bad." Yumi muttered. She then took a deep breath and whistled two short whistles and four long ones.

Out of nowhere, something black zoomed down and landed on Yumi, making me and Kate jump. It was a raven. Yumi hurriedly untied a piece of paper tied on the large black bird's leg. She tore one of the edges off and tied it back on the bird before it flew away.

"What was that for?" Mac asked.

"You'll see." was Yumi's only reply.

We suddenly heard a battle cry somewhere in the wilderness.

"Uhhh… guys? This isn't good!" Raxnay said; obviously alarmed. She drew her bow but cursed when she saw that she had no arrows left. Mac and Kate already gave her all their arrows. The Ravens were out of bolts. Miza was in an emotional state and the rest of us were dead beat.

I manage to climb up the hill and got a view of our impending doom. About two hundred black knights and goblins were charging straight towards us. In three minutes they would be all over us. There's no way out but to run away but that would leave the wounded behind. Not gonna happen.

"I guess this is it." Kate said beside me. I looked at her; thinking of a way to say sorry for dragging her to this mess. She shook her head and smiled. "Because of you I had the time of my life. I felt that I had some use on this world and not just some unlucky ranger. Thanks."

We hugged. I glanced at Yumi who was smiling knowingly. I frowned. Her words "you'll see" rang in my head.

We suddenly heard a whistle, and another, and another, and another; four whistles in all. I let go of Kate and gazed back at the horde. Raxnay was staring in awe at something. I looked closer and saw that most of them were lying on the ground. Streaks of black were dashing here in there and goblins or knights would drop dead. At first, I hadn't realized it. It still hadn't occurred to me that this night would be the night where I would watch the whole Iron Raven clan at work.

The horde of knights and goblins began to drop their weapons and flee back to the wilderness. I looked back at Yumi who was smiling proudly before saying. "That's my clan."

***An hour later…

"They won't be back. Not for a long time anyway." A tall man said. He was in his early thirties with silver hair dressed in black assassin's gear. He went over to Lt. angel. "Are you the one in charge?"

"Umm…goodness…no, I…umm…he's over there…" She flushed and looked like she would faint on the spot. I've never seen her like this before but it's understandable. The guy was quite good-looking with silvery-grey eyes that matched his hair, along with a muscular build and an accent; like some guy straight out of a girl's dream.

He went over to me. "Are you the one in charge?" He asked. I nodded. He held out his hand before saying. "I am Lavablade07, praetor of the Iron Raven clan. It's been a long while since our clans fought together in the battlefield. Your squad mates are being treated by our medics since your own medical team hasn't arrived yet."

"I'm Lt. Calibre11, Lionheart third squad. It's an honour to finally meet you!" I shook his hand and tried not to stare in awe. I'm actually talking to the leader of the Iron Raven clan!

"Well met. I will be leaving you now. My Ravens and I have a long way back home. Send my regards to your leader; Runeking429. Tell him I haven't sparred with him for quite some time now and am looking forward to it." He tapped my shoulder and walked away.

"I guess you owe us big time." I turned around and saw Yumi. She had that proud smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes but she was right.

"Of course, without you guys we never even have made it in the castle in the first place." I scratched my head. "We owe you guys a lot!"

"Well, that's what sister clans do. It's all in a day's work somehow." She sighed as she looked at a couple of Ravens patching up their small cuts and bruises. It was almost midnight and we have set up a camp in the middle of the clearing; right in front of the smouldering castle. The wounded have been taken to the medical tents while Kate, Miza and the others were given their own tents to rest on.

We all heard a whistle and we turned to its direction. About two dozen people; warriors, rangers, and some mages along with some wagons pulled by horses were making their way to the clearing. Leading them all was captain stetson john.

"I guess this is goodbye." Yumi said, a little disappointed.

"I guess so." I know what she meant. Lions are mainly based in Falador while Ravens in Varrock meaning there's a high chance we won't see each other again. "Don't worry; we might come across each other once in a while."

"Yeah! Let's just hope I'm not there to assassinate you or something." She chuckled. I gulped. She punched me playfully. "I'm kidding! Though I still haven't gotten back at you with what you did back at the canoe."

"Yeah, about that." She chuckled again.

"Just go. You take care now okay?" We gave each other a friendly hug and I turned and walked away. First thing's first. Report to the captain and then home. Home at last.

**(A/N:** Well that concludes the first quarter of the story! I have to admit, this is the first small-scale battle I've made in all of my stories of the same genre. Yup, it's small scale since they're barely even five hundred. Anyways, I made this chapter a little more exciting than the previous ones. I hope it draws some reviews. You have no idea how much each of them means to me. Chapter ten might be out after quite some time. Give it a week or so, I don't know. It depends on the reviews; lets me know if you guys are still interested. Hope you enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it till 4 AM. Read and review! Iron Raven out…**)**


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